Plans for a lap-dancing club next to Wandsworth Town Hall have been dropped after a flood of objections from residents and councillors.

Agora Entertainment Ltd applied for permission to provide "adult entertainment by way of striptease, semi nude and fully nude dancing" on the upper floors of the former Theatre nightclub in Wandsworth High Street.

Wandsworth Council's licensing sub-committee were due to make a decision on the proposal on January 10. But today the council received written confirmation from the applicants that plans were being withdrawn.

Agora is continuing with their licencing application for the club, called Inigma, with music, dancing and the sale of alcoholic drinks until 3am Wednesday to Sunday and 2am on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Council leader Edward Lister welcomed the announcement.

He said: "This is a sensible move by the owners and they should be congratulated for finally making the right decision.

"The lap-dancing idea had whipped up a storm of protest from local residents who quite rightly did not believe that a residential area, and home to so many young families, was the right place for this kind of establishment.

"The town centre is booming at the moment with tens of millions of pounds worth of new investment in new homes, shops and businesses already underway. We are also expecting to soon see plans for the billion pound redevelopment of the Young's brewery site.

"With the town centre becoming even more residential in nature, an application like this was always going to face a mammoth struggle in winning people over."

The plans for a lap-dancing club were met with protest from the Salvation Army, who demonstrated outside the venue, and Fairfield Councillor Vanessa Graham, who said they were "totally inappropriate" for the area. She said the club would bring late night noise and drug dealers to the area.

There is still concern from some neighbours over the proposed late opening hours of the nightclub.

Coun Lister said the licensing sub-committee would be focusing their attention on the new adjusted application.

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