White Horse strip joint’s sex licence surrendered by new Shoreditch diner
The White Horse - Credit: Archant
The former White Horse strip joint is about to be turned into a trendy late-night restaurant after Hackney Council’s licensing committee gave the go-ahead.
he Shoreditch Community Association and four neighbours opposed Super 8’s application to serve alcohol in the restaurant until 1am from Monday to Saturday. They said the White Horse had “caused little nuisance”, and were concerned restaurateur and Selfridges food chief Brian Hannon’s application might exacerbate “the madness that has caused so many problems in Shoreditch over the past decade”.
The association wrote: “This venue was an adult entertainment club for nearly two decades. Regardless of one’s view on the nature of its business, we can say it caused little nuisance to local residents in recent years. The area surrounding the site is often an open-air club, with violence, vomiting, urination, defecation, drug use and unsociable conduct late into the night, presenting real safety and security issues.”
They continued: “This corner is already virtually a no-go area for a sensible family with children.”
The venue lies on the outskirts of the Shoreditch Special Policy Area (SPA). Shoreditch was designated a SPA because it was identified as suffering from “negative cumulative impact” due to the high concentration of licensed premises in the area.
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Another resident flagged up that the sex entertainment licence – which has now been surrendered by the new owners – required restrictions like heavy blinds on all the windows.
The licensing sub-committee approved the application on Thursday last week, but brought forward closing time to midnight from Sunday to Wednesday.
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The White Horse was one of Hackney’s four remaining strip clubs until it closed down in August because of rising rents.
Landlady Sue Bristow could not afford the new price set by Werwent London, which bought the four-storey building in Shoreditch High Street two years ago.
Ms Bristow, whose parents set up the striptease club when she was six, was offered the chance to be bought out – which she accepted.
Because of Hackney Council’s ban on any more sex entertainment venues opening in the borough which was introduced in 2011, she could not sell on the business as a going concern.
