A CITY lap-dancing club has secured a sexual entertainment venue (SEV) licence to allow it to continue trading next year.

The Licensing Sub-committee met in the Guildhall yesterday to discuss the application for the licence for Black Cherry, a gentleman's club in Lowesmoor, Worcester which features naked and topless female dancers.

The venue, which is owned by Black Cherry Entertainment Ltd and run by Ashvin Patel, has been open since March 28, trading with an alcohol and entertainment licence under the Licensing Act 2003.

If the licence hadn't been approved, the club would have had to stop trading from January 1, 2015.

At the meeting, Niall McMenamin, from the licensing team of Worcestershire Regulatory Services, said 11 letters of objection had been received from members of the public but that the police had no objections to the licence being approved.

Heath Thomas, a partner at Harrison Clark Rickerbys, was representing Mr Patel, who he said was "delighted" with the decision.

"It's a legitimate activity. Where some people may approach it from a moral stance, that's not relevant for the purposes of a SEV licence application," Mr Thomas said.

"The applicant has demonstrated for seven months that he has complied with requirements. He is delighted that approval has been given."

During the meeting, letters of objection were noted with a number of people complaining that the recent development of the area and the opening of the ASDA supermarket meant that more families now walk through Lowesmoor, and that Black Cherry would put shoppers off using the area.

Ken Boyce spoke at the meeting on behalf of David Rogers, who lives at the back of the club, and complained about "noise pollution" from the club.

But Mr Thomas said the club fits in well with the area.

"Lowesmoor already has a night-time economy, with pubs such as the Pig and Drum, the Flag and the Firefly already being there. The locality is suitable and Black Cherry opens at 9pm and closes at 4.30am, so most of the shops are shut by then," he said.

"There are no queues outside Black Cherry — the customers are discreet and it's not a place where music is played very loud inside, and the owner has soundproofed the building."

The licence was granted subject to the club adhering to a number of conditions, including that it is clear that no one under the age of 18 is allowed in the club as a customer or performer and that any advertising on the outside of the premises is in a form acceptable to Worcester City Council.