A FEMINIST campaign group has renewed its calls for the council to block the opening of a new sex entertainment venue in Colchester town centre, claiming it would “provoke danger to women and children”.

Solo Summers is all set set to open in the old Embassy Suite building, in Balkerne Hill, following the approval of a planning application for the premises.

The final hurdle to pass is a licence application, which applies for the premises to offer pole dancing, lap dancing and strip tease, which must be approved by Colchester Council.

The man behind the project Ian Saunders has promised the venue will not be sordid and will welcome people of all genders and sexual orientations, with male and female dancers as well as drag nights.

However, the North Essex Women’s Equality Party has renewed its opposition to the plans calling for the licence application to be thrown out.

Kim Cullen, chairwoman of the Colchester-based group, said: “We have been against the creation of this venue from day one. The licence application reveals the type of exploitative and objectifying activities planned to take place.

“This squalid form of so-called entertainment is a throwback to a past when women were more regularly humiliated and degraded.

“The Licensing Act 2003 specifically requires Colchester councillors to promote public safety, and the protection of children from harm. We believe such venues encourage and provoke danger to women and children affected by misogyny.

“The licensing committee are also bound by the Local Government Act 1982 requiring them to take account of the Human Rights Act, Section 19 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and the Equality Act.

“All of these regulations and legal constraints provide plenty of evidence for the committee when it meets in July to come to the right decision and reject this sex club application.”

Mr Saunders said: "The Solo Summers concept of adult arts entertainment, as previously stated, does not stand for or represent misogyny in any shape or form.

"Solo Summers Ltd is actually managed by an all female management team made up of four key individuals.

"Whilst the Solo Summers concept is made up of varied events that do not require sexual entertainment venue licencing, Batchelor and Bachelorette nights which are the events that duly require a sexual entertainment venue licence are actually made up of both male and female dancers and therefore represents equality not misogyny. 

"Solo Summers Ltd is proudly a female managed organisation and everyone will have the right to express themselves within a safe environment.

"The Solo Summers concept is proudly a modern one that is very different to what has been seen before and is certainly not a “throwback to a past when women were more regularly humiliated and degraded" quite the opposite."

Objections to the application can be made to Colchester Council up to June 10.