Sex shop plan is slammed (From Western Telegraph)

Sex shop plan is slammed

A decision on whether Pembrokeshire will have its first-ever sex shop will be made tomorrow (Thursday).

The county council's licensing committee is meeting to discuss an application for a sex establishment licence submitted by Darker Enterprises Ltd in respect of the Old Smithy Cafe, which is located opposite Haverfordwest's bus station.

The company, which runs approximately 70 sex shops throughout the UK, applied for a licence to open a shop in Carmarthen earlier this year, but the application was rejected on planning grounds.

"The application wasn't turned down because it was a sex shop," said a Carmarthenshire County Council spokesman. "It was turned down because the company wanted to put the shop in a non-retail area."

The prospect of a sex emporium opening in Haverfordwest has caused considerable controversy among members of the public and local councillors.

Haverfordwest Town Council and local county councillor Thomas Tudor are against the application and consider the suggested location 'wholly inappropriate'.

The county council has received a number of letters of objection. A 14-year-old boy wrote in to say that sex shops are 'wrong' and asked for a skate park instead. Elders of the Bethany Free Church in Clarbeston Road sent in a petition opposing the shop and said that 'one more of these dens of iniquity' would 'further encourage sexual depravity in our society'.

Business sector objectors include Mr Richard Collins, who runs an international student recruitment service and views the proposed establishment as a 'depressant to future business'.

"My business involves me bringing many overseas clients to Pembrokeshire each year," wrote Mr Collins.

"Pembrokeshire is known to my clients as a safe haven divorced from some of the problems of our major cities. It would be most harmful to lose that fresh image."

Darker Enterprises said they rarely commented on licensing applications prior to appearing before a council committee, but felt objections were 'not properly considered'. The company also pointed out there were sex shops in other Welsh towns.