London Locals Furious at Plans for New “UK Red Light District” With “Full Nudity” Strip Club

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Well, this will be something new and different in London’s West End…

A strip club offering a ‘full nudity’ service for members has recently been given the green light to open a venue in London’s West End.

A New Strip Club in London’s West End?

The Penthouse Club (yep, it’s named after the adult magazine) has been approved to open in Soho, on Walker’s Court. The plans are for the venue to offer services such as burlesque shows, acrobatic performances and Cirque du Soleil type of performances, as well as fully-nude stripteases in private VIP rooms. Plans also include the venue hosting LGBTQIA+ performers, including potentially drag performers, once a week.

‘Table-side’ dancing will be performed to guests seated at tables or in VIP rooms – but it will be stressed that there should be “no sexual contact” between customers and performers. The only permissible physical contact would be exchanging money or tokens.

Performances on the main stage or at tables could feature ‘semi-nudity’, but ‘full nudity’ would only occur in VIP rooms.

Soho Prime Entertainment Ltd will be managing this venture, which is planned to have a capacity of 300. Its parent company is John Kirkendoll Management, a private boutique hospitality management and investment company based in New Orleans. It has opened Penthouse Clubs in Baltimore, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and Tampa, as well as Perth, Australia. Their London location will be their first in the U.K.

Controversy Over The Venue’s Approval

According to the BBC, the Westminster City Council approved the strip club’s application, saying that Soho Prime Entertainment Ltd was a ‘responsible, professional and experienced operator’ and that the company would agree to uphold the highest of standards. However many locals who went to that February 27th council meeting felt otherwise.

Concerns From Local Residents

One objector claimed they live in a building with a lap dance bar in its basement. They said: “It is absolutely appalling and to think you would open a larger, a more glamorous version of exactly [a strip club] that it wouldn’t increase the number of those sort of customers who come into this very, very busy part of Soho, is for the birds. It will increase the number of those customers. It will therefore increase the pedicabs who get them from elsewhere. It will increase the street drug pushers.”

The Sun reported one local as saying: “Soho is no longer the seedy red-light district of yore. Of course, numerous sexual entertainment venues still exist. But how can it be appropriate to add a new full nudity strip bar right at the defining heart of the neighborhood? Is this the direction in which we want Soho to travel?”

Another added: “It’s not rocket science that the higher the concentration of sex entertainment venues in one locality/street/area, the greater the risk of crime and disorder.”

Yet the representatives for the strip club claimed there would be no security issues.

The Club’s Response to Criticism

Caroline Kirkendoll, of Soho Prime Entertainment Ltd, said the club wants to provide a “premium” experience that attracts an older, more female demographic. She also insisted that its parent company has managed clubs in high crime rate areas before (Note: I used to live in Tampa – the Tampa location is indeed a seedy part of town), and has never had any issues.

“We’ve had zero instances of security issues with performers or guests, frankly. So, to say this is something so fundamental to our operation sounds fairly basic,” said Kirkendoll. “It is a core tenet under which we operate. Regardless of the extent we must go to ensure safety for everybody – performers, guests, our staff, at all times of the day and night – we will take those steps, conditioned or otherwise.”

How Much Will Entry Cost?

According to the venue’s license application, entry to the Soho location is planned to be about £25 ($32.29USD) per person, or full tables can be reserved for £150 ($193.74USD) per head.

The Metropolitan Police offered no objections to the venue operating. Westminster City Council spokesperson said the following in a statement: “Soho and the West End has a legacy of regulated sexual entertainment venues for decades with the council operating under the Sexual Entertainment Venue policy. This outlines clear guidance for businesses on the requirements they must adhere to. Every decision made by the Licensing Sub-Committee is determined on their merits and must be mindful to strike a balance with the evidence in front of them. In this case, based on the evidence presented, the committee made the decision to approve the license, while ensuring that strict conditions are followed.”

Final Thoughts: A Step Backward for Soho?

To be fair, Soho has historically been one of the less family-friendly parts of London. But for those who want to clean the area up, the Penthouse Club will definitely be a step in the wrong direction.

Feature Photo: The Penthouse Club – Tampa

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