Club 55- York Council mistake delays licence ruling

City of York Council’s licensing and regulatory committee delayed the decision on Club 55’s application after hearing it should have gone before a licensing sub-committee.

The Licensing and Regulatory Committee’s Labour Chair Cllr Rachel Melly said their meeting on Thursday, February 5 could not have been legally cancelled after its agenda had been issued.

It comes after the venue, above Ziggy’s nightclub in Micklegate, lodged its application with the council to renew its licence for another year.

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Sex venues are legally required to renew their licences once a year and Club 55’s application was approved last year without objections.

The club offers lap dances and pole shows and is open from 9pm to 3am on Fridays and Saturdays and from 6pm to 4.30am on race days.

It has faced one objection this year from a Micklegate resident alleging they saw a brawl outside the venue which resulted in North Yorkshire Police officers being called.

The objector added it was an example of the kind of antisocial behaviour the club was fuelling.

The objector said: “We have witnessed an extremely violent attack between two groups of men waiting to go in, which led to at least 10 officers an ambulance attending and an arrest.

“An establishment which attracts large groups of men following heavy drinking sessions potentially lays itself open to this kind of behaviour, especially on race days when drinking starts much earlier in the day.

“Having a sex establishment inside a Grade II*-listed building in one of York’s most important historical streets has a detrimental impact on the street and city’s reputation as a leading tourist destination.”

Club 55 (right, first floor), in Micklegate, York. Picture is from Google Street View.

In a report on the venue’s application, licensing officials said there were no legal reasons compelling councillors to refuse the application.

They added approving it would keep the number of strip clubs at the locally-set limit of one.

Last year, the venue was inspected in December 2024 ahead of its renewal application being heard amid claims it was not following licensing rules.

The police lodged an objection to its application a month before the inspection.

It was later withdrawn and the venue faced no other opposition.

The council’s report stated the police had not objected to the venue’s latest application.

It added Club 55’s owners would be able to appeal a refusal of their application at a Magistrate’s Court if councillors make that decision.