THE owner of a burlesque club forced to leave its city centre premises has revealed plans to move back to its former home next to a church.

The Lodge moved to Oxpens Road in 2011, after Oxford City Council refused to renew its sex entertainment venue licence at Pennyfarthing Place.

After battling in the courts to stay open as a lap dancing club for two years it was forced to close in February last year, but reopened in April as a burlesque bar.

Now its lease on the Oxpens premises, owned by the city council, has ended.

When the club was last based in Pennyfarthing Place it faced resistance from St Ebbe’s Church, but club boss Al Thompson said this time it was a “different business”.

Church manager Andy Menary said St Ebbe’s objected to the club’s application in December to move back, but it was now working “pragmatically” with bosses.

He said: “We are concerned about noise and disturbance that could occur when people are coming and going, particularly late at night.

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“As a church we would rather there was not a club there, but we have established a dialogue.”

The club will close its Oxpens premises after Saturday January 24 to move to Pennyfarthing Place, Mr Thompson said.

Until the end of last year the building was leased by the nightclub Carbon from Mr Thompson’s firm.

The Lodge will reopen on January 30 from 10pm to 3am, six days a week.

Mr Thompson said: “When we moved out of Pennyfarthing Place we were running a very different business.

“The reason we [originally] had to leave was the fact we were a sexual entertainment venue located in the wrong place.

“Now we are a nightclub, so going back should not cause any issues."

The city council wants to use the Oxpens club as an office for its car park staff from February.

It will serve temporary car parks created for the redevelopment of the Westgate Shopping Centre and also be used to run a Shopmobility scheme.

Council leader Bob Price said the move would free up space occupied by portable offices for parking.

He said: “We are taking the building back for a more appropriate use. Currently there are three or four portable offices in Oxpens and we hope this could allow us to remove two and have more parking spaces.”

In two to three years time, he added, the office was likely to be demolished as part of the redevelopment of Oxpens.

He had tried to reach a last-minute deal to allow his business to stay in Oxpens.

He added: “That premises has been really good to us and we have spent a lot of money on it.”

TIMELINE:

• February 2011 - Lodge is refused lap dancing licence at Pennyfarthing Place.

• July 2011 - Councillors grant licence for The Lodge to reopen in Oxpens Road.

• September 2012 - City council refuses to renew licence because club is “an inappropriate feature” in area. Club bosses appeal at High Court.

• June 2013 - The Lodge loses High Court appeal and is ordered to close.

• February 2014 - Club loses Appeal Court case for licence.

• April 2014 - The Lodge reopens as a burlesque club in Oxpens Road.

• December 2014 - Club bosses apply to move back to the Pennyfarthing Place, are granted permission.

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