Licensing Panel C met to consider a renewal application for a Sexual Entertainment Venue (SEV) licence. The panel was scheduled to review the application for The Griffin, 125 Clerkenwell Road and consider an objection that had been received. The panel was also scheduled to approve the minutes of previous meetings.

The Griffin, 125 Clerkenwell Road

The panel was scheduled to consider an application made by Wayne Edward Chandler to renew the SEV licence for The Griffin, 125 Clerkenwell Road, EC1R 5DB.

The application requests permission to continue operating as an SEV at the following times:

• Monday to Thursday: 11:00 until 00:00
• Friday to Saturday: 11:00 until 01:00
• Sunday: 11:00 until 00:00

The report pack notes that the applicant has not applied to vary the permitted hours, standard or additional conditions on their licence.

The report states that the council first granted a sex establishment licence to The Griffin on 19 December 2005, and that applications to renew the licence have been submitted on an annual basis.

The report also notes that the Licensing (Sexual Entertainment Venue) Sub-Committee last considered an application to renew the licence on 01 December 2021, resolving that the premises licence be renewed subject to the existing licence conditions.

The current licence authorises relevant entertainment to take place only on the ground floor and is granted subject to the council’s standard sex establishment conditions with amendments to the following conditions:

• Condition 18 amended to:

“CCTV monitors covering the premises must be available near to the entrance of the premises where they can immediately be viewed by Police and Council officers during an inspection of the premises. This condition does not preclude further monitors being located in other parts of the premises."

• Condition 34 amended to:

“The licence holder shall ensure that the name of the Duty Manager is displayed prominently at the premises so the name can be easily viewed by Police or authorised Council officers carrying out an inspection of the premises, or otherwise by persons using the venue."

• Condition 64 amended to include an additional bullet point to read ‘Dancers shall not be required to drink alcohol.’

The licence is also granted subject to the following additional conditions:

• A1) The dancer’s welfare policy shall state that dancers shall not be required to drink alcohol.
• A2) That the management be asked to ensure that there is CCTV coverage of all areas of the premises that can be accessed by members of the public and that a plan showing the location of all CCTV cameras be submitted to the Licensing Authority on completion of the works currently taking place.
• A3) No curtain of any description shall be used in the premises.

The report states that no complaints or reports of breach of conditions have been received in relation to this premises over the past 3 years. However, a day visit was carried out at the premises on 03 December 2024 by licensing officers during operational hours to carry out an inspection, during which the premises was found to be in breach of Condition 37, as there was no Security Industry Authority (SIA)¹ registered door staff on front street door at time of visit.

Licensing officers visited the premises again on the morning of 10 December 2024 to carry out a full Inspection, during which they were able to confirm that the current layout complies with the premises floor plan and found that the premises was compliant with all standard, amended and additional conditions. Officers notified Mr. Wayne of the breach identified on the 3rd December and he assured officers that this was an anomaly and would not happen again.

The report notes that one objection has been received from a member of the public in relation to the renewal for 2024 to 2025. The objection states:

The club attracts dozens of pimps outside on weekends & pimps outside in the middle of the afternoon approaching young boys. The club has a sign on it's door Beware of illegal minicabs. Avoid at all costs. Minicabs is the front pimps use. I've seen pimps approach young boys in the daytime. I study nearby & have to avoid this road. Most reviews refer to women like cattle: Watching a middle aged ovenveight woman straddle the pole I can't believe they still employ this old woman different races, however not every girl has a good body shape The reviews of women would be sex discrimination & sexual harassment in any other context. The club doesn't condemn the abusive comments about women in replies.

The report includes comments from the Borough Solicitor, who notes that the Licensing Panel must always consider each application on its own merits and allow exceptions to the normal policy where the circumstances of the application justify allowing an exception. The burden is on the applicant to show that they comply with the Policy.

The Borough Solicitor also notes that the Human Rights Act 1998 incorporates the key articles of the European Convention on Human Rights into domestic law, and that decisions on licensing matters are actions of a public authority and must be compatible with Convention rights.

Approval of Minutes

The panel was also scheduled to approve the minutes of the meetings held on 19 December 2024 and 23 January 2025.