Skip to main content

Law, sex and the city: Regulating sexual entertainment venues in England and Wales

Hubbard, Philip (2015) Law, sex and the city: Regulating sexual entertainment venues in England and Wales. International Journal of Law in the Built Environment, 7 (1). pp. 5-20. ISSN 1756-1450. (doi:10.1108/IJLBE-01-2014-0001) (KAR id:48043)

Abstract

Purpose – This paper aims to explore how municipal law, in its various guises, serves to police the boundaries of acceptable sexual conduct by considering how Sexual Entertainment Venues (SEVs) in British cities are controlled through diverse techniques of licensing and planning control. Design/methodology/approach – The paper describes the emergence of permissive new licensing controls that provide local authorities considerable control over SEVs. Licensing decisions, judicial review cases and planning inspectorate adjudications since the inception of the new powers are examined to explore the logic of judgements preventing SEVs operating in specific localities. Findings – Through analysis of case studies, it is shown that local authorities have almost total discretion to prevent SEVs operating in specific localities, particularly those undergoing, or anticipated to be undergoing, redevelopment and regeneration. Originality/value – This paper offers unique insights on the “scope” of municipal law by highlighting how land uses associated with “sexual minority” interests are regulated in the interests of urban regeneration, redevelopment and restructuring.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1108/IJLBE-01-2014-0001
Uncontrolled keywords: Planning, UK, Sexuality, Licensing, Nuisance, Sexual entertainment venue
Subjects: G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > G Geography (General)
H Social Sciences > HT Communities. Classes. Races
K Law > K Law (General)
Divisions: Divisions > Division for the Study of Law, Society and Social Justice > School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research
Funders: [UNSPECIFIED] ESRC
Depositing User: Phil Hubbard
Date Deposited: 24 Apr 2015 09:03 UTC
Last Modified: 16 Feb 2021 13:24 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/48043 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Hubbard, Philip.

Creator's ORCID:
CReDIT Contributor Roles:
  • Depositors only (login required):

Total unique views for this document in KAR since July 2020. For more details click on the image.