The Argus - News, Sport, Brighton and Hove Albion and Entertainment for Brighton, Hove and Sussex

Let the club be

From the The Argus, first published Friday 19th Jan 2007.

It is shocking that Brighton Magistrates' Court could overturn the decision of democratically elected local councillors to reject a licence application from Rocco Mana to open an adult club in East Street on the old ABC Cinema site (known more recently as The Toad).

However, many salacious events are held in Brighton without incident and anyone who has been to a Rocco Mana club will know they are professionally run and invest in the security of revellers and their employees.

If the club goes ahead, I suspect there will be far fewer incidents than when the site was renowned among students as somewhere to get drunk on buy-one-get-one-free vodka shots.

As for attracting an unsavoury crowd, every weekend stag parties wander the streets in raucous droves looking for somewhere to go. It would be better for everyone if such groups were kept entertained in a professionally run venue.

Even with a licence granted, the club still needs planning permission.

Couldn't councillors ensure planning permission is contingent upon a guarantee that employees and customers will be safe, the club will be secure and there will be no undesirable overspill of revellers into East Street late at night?

Those who object to the club could then simply not go to it and the money saved from objecting to it in court could go towards cleaning up Brighton's grimy streets.

Mike Macfarlane
Marine Parade, Brighton