Hammersmith and Fulham (Parliament Politics Magazine) – A Glenthorne Road strip club in Hammersmith and Fulham has had its licence renewed after two adjourned meetings delayed the decision for six months.
Secrets has been based in Glenthorne Road in Hammersmith and Fulham since 1997. Earlier this year, a company sought to renew its Sexual Entertainment Venue (SEV) license extended to March 2026 with the same hours they are currently open. However, a hearing set to be held on April 30th had to be postponed while a video showed there was disorder outside of the venue.
A second hearing scheduled for June 11th also needed to be postponed as an anonymous complaint had been submitted, which Adrian Overton, licensing officer for the council, had asked to be postponed and which would allow the council to investigate further should the complainant decide to attend an arranged hearing.
Additional information on the anonymous complaint and the findings of his team were included in a report written by Mr. Overton and dated October 6 ahead of last Wednesday night’s (October 8) Licensing Sub-Committee meeting.
He stated that on June 19, the licensing authority spoke with the complaint over the phone and heard other accusations, such as that there was drug usage, that certain cameras were malfunctioning, and that clients and performers were engaging in sexual conduct in specific booths.
After talking with the complainant, the council’s Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) head concluded that the problem seemed to be more of a license violation than exploitation.
Recording a visit to the premises in September, Mr Overton wrote,
“At the time of the inspection the CCTV system was working correctly, and while there was no evidence of inappropriate behaviour between performers and customers, it was noted that there was not full coverage of some of the booths on the cameras. It was also difficult to understand which cameras covered which booths.”
Mr. Overton concluded by writing that the venue seems to be functioning “broadly” in accordance with its license.
Nonetheless, he suggested a number of requirements, including that each booth have complete CCTV coverage, that a schematic of the property be created that shows which way the cameras are pointed, and that any recorded film be kept for 62 days.
During the initial consultation, Secrets’ proposal for a renewal encountered resistance, resulting in 32 residential objections, two of which were later withdrawn. The majority of these addressed the club’s effects on the neighborhood, the two schools (Godolphin and Latymer) and West London Free School Primary. A few also brought up the brawl that broke out outside the club in November.
One person wrote,
“We are not sure how having a sexual entertainment venue in a residential area, right next to a school and private residences, was ever acceptable to the borough of H&F but to allow it to open at 6pm on weekends, when families are still out and about and with possible school activities would be very inappropriate and upsetting, not to mention further noise and disruption.”
In his own statement, Secrets’ owner Stephen Less stated that the club has stringent management procedures and that disturbances are uncommon. He remarked on the widely shared video that the customers involved had left after learning that the police had been called.
He claimed that after the incident was investigated, a bartender who had become involved was suspended and eventually fired.
Benita Cruikshank, a local, was the only speaker at the meeting on Wednesday night. She stated that her main request was that the venue continue to run as it has and not disrupt the neighborhood, but she made it clear that she was not technically opposed.
“I’m not concerned with what goes on inside the club, I’m just concerned with what goes on outside it, particularly late at night,”
she said.
Sarah Le Fevre, a barrister representing Secrets, highlighted the long-standing, continuous ownership of Secrets since its opening in 1997 and the actions, such as additional training, undertaken following the incident last November.
She also said there are plans, assuming the renewal was approved, to upgrade the external facade of the building and smarten it up.
“It’ll be a better visual neighbour than it is presently,”
she said.
In her summing up, Ms Le Fevre told members,
“I hope what you’ve taken from this hearing is that this is a candid organisation and a responsible organisation which has looked to extract the learning from the unacceptable incident of November of last year and apply it, apparently entirely effectively. Because there has been no repeat since.”
The license renewal until March 31 of the following year, along with the application of the terms suggested by Mr. Overton and accepted by the applicant, were approved by the subcommittee.
A spokesperson for Secrets told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS),
“Secrets is delighted that its SEV licence was renewed in line with its application and looks forward to continuing to work closely with its neighbours and the local authority.”
What were the reasons provided for adjournments and taking six months to continue?
The licensing subcommittee adjourned the hearings so that there could be further time for the club, residents, and authorities to bring additional evidence on the noise issues, antisocial behavior, and safety of the venue.
The complaints from residents included a number of reports of violent incidents, noise, and disorder at the venue, and would require a thorough investigation with police and or enforcement teams from the Council to fully appreciate the evidence and extent of the issues.
These hearings took longer than anticipated as they were looking to consider potential restrictions or conditions (e.g., for times of operation or security) that would create balance for the club’s operation with respect to safety concerns from the community and would take further consideration and time.