A LAP dancing club in Bournemouth town centre is bidding to erect outdoor seating just yards from the pavement and install private VIP booths inside.

The plans by Wiggle would allow its customers to consume alcohol until 11pm on part of the premises visible and within earshot of Old Christchurch Road and Lorne Park Road.

Wellhot Limited, the club’s parent company, is not seeking to supply any sexual entertainment in this outdoor area, which will be located behind the building’s front gate and wall.

The proposal was submitted before the council’s licensing board chairman, Cllr Andrew Morgan, suggested during a meeting that strip bars could be banished from the borough or moved to “some sort of industrial estate”.

And one resident has formally complained about the changes, objecting to them on the grounds that they will cause a “public nuisance”.

The resident said that the application should be rejected to protect children from harm and to prevent crime and disorder.

Wiggle's solicitor, Caroline Morgan, has written to the complainant explaining that the club is subject to "a whole raft of restrictive conditions” because of its licensing status as a sexual entertainment venue.

“To our knowledge, Wiggle has no history of crime and disorder problems,” she said.

“Measures to be adopted for the external area include full CCTV monitoring. CCTV is a tool used as a matter of course throughout operating hours due to the need to monitor the sexual entertainment taking place and the associated customer behaviour.

“My client is an experienced operator and takes these obligations extremely seriously.”

Ms Morgan added that the premises are “set away from the public highway” and that door supervisors would monitor the outside areas.

“The principal attraction for the majority of customers is the entertainment, which takes place indoors,” she said. “It is likely that there will be a more limited use of the external facilities than at, say, a public house or casual drinking/dining venue with a beer garden.”

The club is also seeking permission to install a new “VIP area” on the first floor containing CCTV-monitored private booths separated by “lightweight curtains”.

The application will be heard at the Town Hall’s HMS Phoebe Committee Room on Tuesday, January 12 at 9.45am. The public are welcome to attend.