Sex Shops in The Northwest

Two Blackpool sex shops have had their licences renewed for a further year.

The Private Shop, on Church Street in central Blackpool and Saints and Sinners on Foxhall Square will be licensed as sex shops for another 12 months.

Blackpool Council public protection committee heard there had never been a single cause for complaint relating to either retailer and there were no objections from the police, council enforcement department or members of the public to the licence renewal.

Bolton councillors considered a 180 name nutter petition  before renewing the licence of a Chorley sex shop.

The owners of M & M Sensations, which has operated from premises on Bolton Street since 2001, applied to renew their sex establishment licence last week.

The petition claimed that the location of M & M Sensations was inappropriate and a covering letter said: We do not believe, as many in the community, that such a business should be sited just nine shops form a lollipop crossing.

Councillors from the council's general licensing sub-committee granted the renewal. A spokesman for Chorley Council said: The shop has been in this area since 2001 and there have been no issues for the council, the police or trading standards in that time.

A petition was received highlighting the proximity to a primary school, but was undermined by the fact that we wrote to all 180 people who had signed it and received back only six responses. Two of those were returned because the person was 'unknown' at the given address, one wanted their name to be removed claiming they had been misinformed about the petition and another said they'd only signed because they thought it was campaigning to get the shop removed completely.

The licensing sub-committee heard from the owner and used Chorley's guidelines on sex establishment to consider the application and found no grounds to refuse it.

An application for a sex shop licence for a shop on The Walk in Rochdale Town Centre has been turned down by Councillors on the Regulatory Committee.

Councillors said that while they were not averse to having this type of business in the town ...BUT... all agreed that The Walk was a poor choice of location for a sex shop.

Councillor Irene Davidson said: I would refuse the licence because this is a unique part of Rochdale Town Centre and a major part of the future redevelopment. If it was anywhere else I would seriously look at the possibility. The Walk is just not the place for a business like this.

Chairman of the Regulatory Committee Ashley Dearnley said: I have no problem with the idea but this is a main route into the town centre and it is very narrow so people would not be able to walk easily past if they were offended by such an establishment.

The applicant for the licence, Emma Bannister, from Bury, insisted that no offensive items would be put in the shop window and that the establishment would be secure, with no minors allowed to enter the premises. Until recently the premises had been a sex shop, before it was forced to close down for financial reasons but councillors countered that if they had been the ones that decided the licence originally they would not have granted it.

The Council had received three letters of objection to the proposed sex shop from members of the public who feared that the shop would be offensive to town centre visitors.