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Opposing the “Sex Shop” Public Meeting

 

7:30PM Wednesday 10th Sept 2008 

 

Guyhirn Village Hall

 

 

 

Sex Shop Old Little Chef A47 Guyhirn

(updated 25th August 2008)

A proposal for a License for a Sex Establishment was submitted to Fenland District Council on the 24th April 2008 and at the same time an advertisement was placed in a local newspaper, as is the requirement of the application process.

 

So how is it that you and most of Fenland residents were unaware of the proposal ?

Because the advert was placed in the Peterborough Citizen the sister paper to the Fenland Citizen .

 

The Peterborough Citizen is a free weekly newspaper distributed in Peterborough only and is not available in Fenland, so no wonder the people of Fenland were unaware of this license application.

 

Hearing for the determination of the Application

10:00am on Tuesday 16th September 2008

in Council Chambers, Fenland District Council

 

Anybody who wrote to FDC opposing the granting of the license should have received by now notification of the hearing, in addition to Cllr Phil Waite, members of Guyhirn Action Group intend to speak in opposition to the application at the hearing, if you would like us to speak on your behalf please ensure you complete and return the form by the 12th September inserting Guyhirn Action Group in section 3 option 4, please also email Paul or Jon to let us know you have done this.

 

Please also email Paul or Jon if you will be attending the meeting or are prepared to speak as a member of Guyhirn Action Group on behalf of others.

 

We would like to organise a meeting prior to the hearing to coordinate our activities and will update this site when we have a Time & Date.

 

 

Public meeting - 19:00 on Thursday 15th May at Guyhirn Village Hall

Guyhirn Action Group Would like to thank all those who attended and expressed their views on what is a very important and emotive topic for our village. This was a successful meeting with 89 in attendance and the community of Guyhirn had an opportunity to express their concerns to Tony Ibrahim - There were a number of issues and actions which came out of this meeting which the Guyhirn Action Group will follow up - updates will be posted on this website as they become available:

 

I would like to clarify some points and invite anybody who has any further information to please contact me Paul Carpenter: -

 

1.    It was claimed by Tony Ibrahim that local people objected to Play2Day and Bowl2Day  Guyhirn Action Group are unaware of any such complaints and it is our understanding that rather than objections there were no local supporters of these proposals - well I ask one simple question how does anybody support something when they don’t know anything about it or aren’t asked to support it? - the only issue I was aware of, was some problem with planning and the particular blue used to paint the building and I (Paul Carpenter) personally offered to one of the owners to write a letter of support to FDC planning.

 

2.    Tony Ibrahim is unhappy with the use of the term ‘Sex Shop’ and prefers the term ‘Adult Shop’ well let us be clear about this he is applying for a ‘Sex Establishment License’ as per the legal definition.

 

Fact sheet - Making Representations to Applications for a Sex Establishment Licence - Download PDF

 

A sex establishment is either a ‘sex shop’ or a ‘sex cinema’, or a combination of both.

 

A sex shop is a business which consists to a significant degree of selling, hiring, displaying or demonstrating sex articles or other things intended for use in connection with, or for the purpose of stimulating or encouraging, sexual activity.

 

A sex cinema is concerned primarily with the exhibition of moving pictures, which are concerned primarily with the portrayal of, or are intended to stimulate or encourage, sexual activity.

 

The shop at Thorney Toll at one stage had a sign outside in black and white with the words ‘SEX SHOP’ on it which presumably Tony Ibrahim or somebody at the garage put up and was later taken down as no planning permission had been applied for or granted.

 

3.    Apparently according to Tony Ibrahim the Little Chef is not actually in Guyhirn but Near Guyhirn according to the postal address, firstly it is in Guyhirn and secondly does it really matter whether it is in Guyhirn or just very very near to Guyhirn the fact remains it is and will be associated with Guyhirn and already our village is being referred to as Guyhorn.

 

4.    Mr Erbie Murat has no connection or association with Guyhirn Action Group or Guyhirn Village Hall Committee and has not been involved with either group since October 2007, he does not speak on our behalf. Although Mr Murat currently remains a Trustee of Guyhirn Village Hall Trust (Their role is limited to ownership of the Village Hall not the running of the hall) he does not speak on their behalf either - the letter circulating by Mr Murat expresses his personal views and opinions and to our knowledge does not represent the views or opinions of the community or anybody else.

 

5.    Guyhirn Action Group do have concerns that the ex Little Chef A47 Guyhirn could become a Lap Dancing venue as; the property is considered by us to large to be sustainable as a Lingerie and Sex Shop facility only and the owner will seek to maximise his investment, this is the most logical next development.

 

6.    Guyhirn Action Group will be looking into the status of the Little Chef with regard to the current planning consent in particular; is the property licensed for Class 3 (Food and Drink) and Class 1A (Retail) purposes as claimed by Tony Ibrahim.

 

7.    So far no planning application has been received by Fenland regarding change of use or anything else for the ex Little Chef A47 Guyhirn. As soon as an application is made I will put information on this website. 

 

Why are we Objecting

Guyhirn Action Group is objecting to the proposal for the following reasons: -

 

  • The objections we have are nothing to do with morality, what is being proposed is inappropriate for that location, we are very much in favour of economic and social regeneration, that is the purpose for which we were established, but developments appropriate for our community. We have lost many of our community facilities and in return we get a sex shop. How is this going to benefit the local community.
  • We believe this not wanted or needed by the local community the Wisbech sex establishment closed through lack of interest and in our small quiet community of less than 700 inhabitants; it is not catering for locals - who are the intended users?
  • The signs are enormous, this really isn’t the reputation we want for our community, particularly at a time when we are trying to rejuvenate and invigorate our community. With the big signs it is obvious it will cater for passing trade, to the detriment of the local community.
  • What will this give to the community, what benefits will this bring, this is the main entrance to Fenland from the west, we are already badly thought of by the rest of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough this will only go to re-enforce that low opinion.
  • With Play2Day and Bowl2Day (Family and young people oriented establishments) directly across the road this is not the right place for such an ADULT oriented facility.
  • It is right near a bus stop used by children on their way to and from school and it is next to a garage with the only convenience store in Guyhirn used by children and others for sweets and magazines.
  • Currently the application is for a sex shop, it is unlikely with the investment made so far that it will end there, a bar, live performances and lap dancing will be next on the agenda, a sex shop alone is unlikely to provide sufficient return on investment.
  • Anything likely to be sold in the sex shop and more is available in the privacy of your own home through the internet and mail order, why do we need it on our doorstep.
  • The Wisbech St Mary Parish Council wishes to encourage families to the area, how will this help?
  • Other than for the owner this will not provide economic regeneration for the local community.
  • This kind of establishment should be out of the way, secluded, unobtrusive not on the main road into Wisbech, March and Fenland.
  • Trees have been planted at the front of the building in an attempt to hide it, this is totally pointless when massive signs have been erected, on the side of the building and at the front of the property above and in front of the trees, the windows are being painted luminous pink, this indicates a tacky down market place at a time when Fenland wishes to convey a forward looking, family oriented, great place to live and work.
  • This is a blight on our quiet community, people don't live here and didn't move here because they knew there was going to be sex shop here, they moved here believing and expecting in a quiet rural community that this would be the last place there would be this kind of establishment.
  • Allowing this will indicate to the community that nobody cares about the people of Guyhirn and the Parish of Wisbech St Mary and that we are of no importance.

 

How to Object?

If you wish to join with us in objecting to the license application for a sex establishment on the site of the old Little Chef A47 Guyhirn, please write by - Now extended to 11th June 2008 to: -

 

Lin Bagwell

Principal Licensing Officer

Fenland District Council

Fenland Hall

County Road

March

PE15 8NQ

Telephone: 01354 622501

Fax: 01354 622259

Email: lbagwell@fenland.gov.uk

 

You can phone and email Lin Bagwell but only written objections will be taken seriously.

 

Download Letter example (Word Format)

 

Actions so far

Guyhirn Action Group has already written to Lin Bagwell complaining about the placement of the advert in the Peterborough Citizen as inappropriate, as this is not a paper circulated in the Licensing Authority (Fenland) area, as required by the Licensing Act.

 

We have further requested that the Advertisement be redone in the Fenland Citizen and the time for objecting be extended accordingly.

 

We have now received a response to this complaint and the applicant has been required to re-advertise in the Fenland Citizen, which went out on the 13th May 2008 and the deadline for written objections has been extended to the 11th June 2008

 

We have tried to inform as many people as we can and are making as many Fenland District Councillors aware of this proposal and our objections.

 

Petition

Guyhirn Action Group will not be organising a petition as no matter how many signatures are obtained a petition is only regarded as one objection. We will be using the attendance sheets from the public meeting as additional evidence of the strength of feeling within our Village.

 

Contact Us

If you would like to discuss this matter further or are able to offer help in opposing this License Application please contact either: -

 

Paul Carpenter  01945 450807  paul@guyhirn.org.uk

or

Jon Martin 01945 450154  jon@guyhirn.org.uk