13 May 2024 , 13:26
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A sex club in a popular seaside town has been given the thumbs-up to carry on swinging - despite concerns it is located too close to a teaching centre.
Within Temptation, a 'family run' business in the centre of Torquay, has been granted a new Sex Entertainment Venue (SEV) licence by the local council in Devon. The club - which is said to have around 200 members hailing from across the UK - boasts a fully-equipped dungeon and play rooms, where it hosts X-rated parties on weekends.
It had been operating as an unlicensed venue since it opened in 2021 on the site of a notorious former pub, which had been nicknamed the 'Hope and Grope' by locals.
Officials gave the go-ahead to the adult venue in the popular seaside town (Getty Images/iStockphoto)Within Temptation will now be able to operate under a full SEV licence, which is accompanied by strict conditions and is reviewed annually. While the approval has been welcomed by fans of the club, who praise its welcoming and "open-minded" character, concerns have been raised about its location.
According to the Local Democracy Reporting service, the owner of a nearby language school said he was unhappy at the the sex club being only yards away from a teaching centre for young children. He also said plants to the rear of the venue were overgrown, and looked a "disaster".
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But it was pointed out to Torbay Council that Within Temptation does not open until 8pm - three hours after the language school closed - and owner Lisa Harry vowed to improve the appearance of the area surrounding the club. Mrs Harry told councillors: "We’re just a friendly bunch and we’re trying to keep it like that. If people have got attitude I won’t have them here. It’s a family-run business. We don’t want people coming in and thinking it’s a brothel. It’s not. We run it for like-minded people who enjoy that side of life."
She also shared that the club had been facing hard times amid tough economic conditions and high energy bills, and said they "don’t take very much money". Mrs Harry told councillors: "We take enough to cover the bills and not much more." Torbay Council and Within Temptation have been approached for comment.