The Licensing Sub-Committee of Kingston upon Thames Council met on Thursday 23 April 2026 to consider the renewal of a sex establishment licence for Stir 777, located at 48 High Street, Kingston upon Thames. The committee granted the renewal of the licence and approved an amendment to reduce the number of required door supervisors from four to three.

Renewal of Sex Establishment Licence for Stir 777

The Licensing Sub-Committee considered the application for the renewal of the sex establishment licence for Stir 777, located at 48 High Street, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 1HM. The application also sought to amend condition 45 of the licence, reducing the minimum number of SIA registered door supervisors from four to three. This amendment had been agreed with the Metropolitan Police prior to the application being submitted.

The Licensing Officer, Marcella Basso, presented the application, noting that the premises had held a licence since 2018 and operated as a sexual entertainment venue¹ between 10pm and 3am from Monday to Thursday, and 10pm to 5am on Fridays and Saturdays. The application had been advertised as required, and while no objections were received from relevant authorities, one valid objection was received from a local resident.

Damien Wellman, Operations Manager for Stir 777 Ltd, presented the applicant's case. He addressed the points raised in the objection, stating that there were no customers hanging around the entrance and that staff used off-site parking or public transport, with staff not leaving the premises until their transport was ready. He also highlighted that no noise complaints had been received by the venue or the council. Mr. Wellman also noted that other Royal Boroughs have sexual entertainment venues.

The Legal Advisor, Paul Green, clarified that the objection was considered borderline but was accepted to give residents the benefit of the doubt, as they are not legally qualified. He explained that the committee needed to be satisfied that the character of the locality had not changed.

During questioning, Mr. Wellman confirmed that customers did not queue outside the venue, and any waiting occurred internally. He also stated that the venue had tried to engage with residents but had received limited engagement, although they were willing to provide a contact number to the licensing team for residents to use. He also acknowledged that the venue's website mentioned stag party packages, which did not reflect current practice, and agreed to update the website and the opening hours displayed on the front door for clarity.

Regarding the reduction in door supervisors, Mr. Wellman explained that four were not always necessary, as the venue did not experience significant issues with customers, such as police incidents or drunken clientele. He stated that all staff were SIA security trained and would rotate around the venue, including areas where dancing took place, to ensure the safety of the dancers.

The Licensing Sub-Committee, chaired by Councillor Liz Green, with Councillor James Giles and Councillor Andrew Sillett also in attendance, considered the application in line with Schedule 3 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982² and the Council's Policy on the Licensing of Sex Establishments.

The committee decided to GRANT the application for the renewal of the Sex Establishment Licence and the amendment to condition 45. They found that there was insufficient evidence of the noise and disturbance mentioned in the objection, and that these issues primarily related to the Premises Licence³ under the Licensing Act 2003. The committee noted the applicant's willingness to update their website and door signage and to provide a contact number for residents, and therefore did not impose further conditions at this point. The decision was made after considering both mandatory and discretionary grounds for refusal, and it was determined that none of the mandatory grounds applied. The committee also considered the discretionary grounds related to the character of the locality and the use of nearby premises, concluding that the grant of the licence was not inappropriate.