At 5pm today (2 March 2011) members of St Ebbe’s Church and other Oxford residents will attend a hearing where the local authority will decide whether to grant an application for sexual entertainment to take place at premises situated just a few yards away from the church. Last year the church was unsuccessful in its bid to close down a similar club which has been operating from the same premises. The Christian Legal Centre is supporting the Church’s challenge.
Vaughan Roberts, Rector of St Ebbe’s, along with 32 other objectors, is hoping that the licence application will be rejected by the local authority. The local authority’s policy states that applications for sexual entertainment venues will generally not be deemed to be appropriate if the premises are near or in locations containing historic buildings, schools, shopping complexes, residential areas, or places of worship. This Club is right in the heart of historic Oxford, next door to the Church and a shopping precinct
In April 2010 the law in relation to the licensing of sex venues changed, giving more powers to local authorities to monitor whether and where the venues could be established. Today’s hearing will be the first of its kind in Oxford since the law changed.
Prayer Alert
Please pray for:
- The legal team representing Mr Roberts
- The Christian Legal Centre
- The local authority committee members who will be making the decision.
Please pray that this licence would not be granted and that no lap dance clubs would find a home anywhere in Oxford.
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