Sex Shops in Bornemouth

Nutters fear a Bournemouth sex shop is about to be taken over by an operator who presents what they claim is a more seedy image.

Essex-based sex shop company Darker Enterprises (Private Shops) has applied for permission to operate the old Clone Zone store in the Triangle.

But their bid to transfer the current sex shop licence has sparked around 40 objections. These claim that the Darker Enterprises’ store will be completely different from the existing business and will hinder the regeneration of the Triangle area.

One letter to the council states: The way Darker Enterprises present their shops is seedy and this would be detrimental to trade in this area. Clone Zone was a lifestyle store (which had many high street retail elements rather than just sex) for the gay community and the licence was granted in the Triangle for this. There are already licensed stores on Holdenhurst Road catering for the straight market and there is no need for additional ones in this area.

A local trader said: While the current shop has a sex licence it looks like an ‘extreme’ men’s underwear shop. The new operator uses blacked- out shop fronts which are blatantly obvious to all as being a sex shop and will attract the unsavoury shoppers who I have no need to describe. [A bit unfair considering it's usually councils that insist on blacked out window displays]

The council’s licensing board will consider the application on Thursday, April 16.

Councillors have granted licences for two new sex shops at the Triangle.

Councillors on Bournemouth’s licensing committee insisted there were no grounds to refuse the two sex shop applications, which will take the total in the area to four.

White Tiger Europe Ltd was granted a sex establishment licence for 12 months for Triangle Adult Store, a lifestyle shop for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender customers, run by the former manager of Clone Zone.

Despite nutter objections from traders, Darker Enterprises has been given permission to take over the licence formerly held by the Clone Zone, which went into administration in January. It plans a new store called Private Shop.

Appealing to the licensing committee to reject the Darker Enterprises' application, former mayor Cllr Bob Chapman said: It’s flying in the face of everything this council is trying to do, at considerable cost to the taxpayers of this town and will do nothing to lift the appearance of the Triangle area.

Jason Appleby, manager of The All New Chez L’amour in the Triangle, said most of his customers were middle-aged, buying items similar to those from Ann Summers. Neither needs a sex shop licence as the percentage of “sex articles” it sells is low: I’m not sure what they think is going to happen if two more shops are here. Most people don’t notice this shop when they walk past.