Pole dancer is set to win planning battle to keep dance studio at her £700,000 bungalow despite angry neighbours' complaints over 'grunting and loud noise'
A pole dancer is on track to win the planning battle to keep a dance studio at her posh £700,000 bungalow despite locals' complaints of 'grunting and loud music'.
Samilou Saunders has been battling 'generational bias' from neighbours in the town who are against her business.
She has operated the studio from her bungalow in Christchurch, Dorset, for the past two years, but it faced the threat of closure after complaints were raised by local residents.
Neighbours argued that the studio was having a 'devastating' impact on their lives, pointing to loud music during classes and parking problems.
They were supported by local councillor Margaret Phipps, who deemed the business 'inappropriate' for a residential neighbourhood.
However, Mrs Saunders, whose clientele includes doctors, accountants, vets, nurses, and school teachers, believes the opposition stems more from discomfort with a pole dancing studio in the area than genuine concerns.
Now in her 40s, Mrs Saunders was required to submit a retrospective planning application in January in a bid to continue running the studio.
Now, planning officers at Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole (BCP) Council have recommended it be approved.
In his report, planning officer Peter Walters recommended introducing conditions to curb noise disturbance and restrict opening hours in an effort to address the complaints.
Mrs Saunders said she felt a sense of relief but admitted the dispute has strained her relationship with her neighbours.
She said: 'This has been going on for nearly two years now. It's been a lot of stress and I've been really down about it.
'Some of the things neighbours said were quite horrible and shocking. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but I'm glad the planning officer has seen through the lies about music and noise.
'If I honestly thought I was causing an issue I would have gone round to my neighbours and said what can I do to sort this out?
'I don't feel like I can wave and smile at people anymore, I feel intimidated. They (objectors) will stand and stare at me when I leave the house.
'I'm very pleased with the report, I'm feeling really positive about the outcome.
'I'm hoping when it's all over, we can just move on, but I don't feel like I'm quite there yet.'
The mother previously ran a studio in Bournemouth but relocated the business to her home during the Covid pandemic, continuing operations there due to the ongoing cost of living crisis.
She is the sole employee and typically works around 20 hours per week, holding small classes of up to eight people, spread throughout all seven days.
Her planning application lists the studio's hours as 9am to 9pm Monday to Friday, and 9am to 12pm on weekends.
However, the timetable published on her website shows only one or two classes per day during the week, usually around 10am and again at 6 or 7pm.
She stated that the studio is fitted with air conditioning, meaning windows and doors remain closed during sessions, and that music is not audible from outside. She also noted that music is not played during the classes themselves.
Despite this, neighbours insisted the business was ruining their enjoyment of their homes and the surrounding neighbourhood.
Alan Forage, 83, a retired scientist who lives next door, said: 'We (the residents) are all reasonably old and at our age we just want peace and quiet in a nice area, a quiet life.
'In the summer when windows are open you hear grunting and loud music and chatting when the pole dancing classes are on.'
Neighbour John Thompson wrote: 'We, the residents, have put up with this intrusion into a totally quiet residential area with a devastating effect on our amenity.
'We are the people who have experienced the significant disruption from the noise from the pole dancing music and the effect of the parking not only the road but also on our grass verges which we maintain on a regular basis.
'This application should be rejected and the building brought back in line with the original planning approval, namely construction of an enlarged replacement garage, not an unauthorised pole dancing business in the heart of a quiet residential area.'
Dorothy and Michael English wrote: 'We feel that our home is no longer as enjoyable. We can no longer use the garden freely. Our mental health and wellbeing is being affected.'
The BCP planning committee will vote on the matter at a meeting next week.
Mrs Saunders said: 'I am still a bit on edge for the meeting.
'I've been told the councillors would have to have a good reason to refuse it and go against the officer's recommendation.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
15 minutes ago
- BBC News
Danny Cahalane: Nine in court after fatal acid attack in Plymouth
Nine people have appeared in Plymouth Crown Court in connection with the murder of a 38-year-old man from Cahalane was taken to hospital on 21 February following a serious assault involving acid on Lipson Road. He died in hospital three months later on 3 nine defendants have been charged with involvement in an organised crime group which was supplying drugs or storing drugs. It is also alleged the group was involved the enforcement of drug debts through of the defendants, five men, all in their 20s and from London, and a 34-year-old woman from Plymouth have been charged with murder. Three of the accused pleaded not guilty. The nine defendants include seven men in their 20s from London, and two women in their 30s from of the nine defendants pleaded not guilty to involvement in an organised crime group: Paris Wilson, 34, of The Quay, PlymouthJenna Said, 38, of Ernesettle Green, PlymouthIsrael Augustus, 25, of Pulford Road, LondonIsanah Sungum, 21 of Sterling Way, LondonJean Mukuna, 23, from Werrington Street, LondonArrone Mukuna, 24, of Werrington Street, LondonThe remaining three from London, Brian Kalemba, 22, of Eastbury Square, Abdul-Rasheed Adedoja, 22, of North Circular Road and Ramarnee Bakas-Sithole, 22, of Junction Road are yet to be asked to enter Augustus, Mr Adedoja, Mr Bakas-Sithole, Kalemba and Mr Sungum all from London, and Ms Wilson of Plymouth, have been charged with the six, Ms Wilson, Mr Sungum and Mr Augustus pleaded not guilty. The remaining three had yet to be asked to enter defendants have been remanded in custody, while one has been remanded on conditional bail.A trial is due to take place at Winchester Crown Court on 13 January.
Times
19 minutes ago
- Times
Foxtons to expand beyond London into high-value commuter markets
Foxtons is preparing to take its green Minis, sharply dressed sales reps and punchy house price valuations to more towns beyond the M25. London's biggest estate and lettings agent has told shareholders and City analysts that it wants to accelerate its expansion beyond the capital and into more 'high-value commuter markets'. Over the past year Foxtons has sought a foothold in Reading and Watford after snapping up local agents in those two markets, but its chief executive, Guy Gittins, expects more deal-making over the coming months. It is part of his plan to hit the ambitious new growth targets that he revealed on Wednesday. Over the next few years he expects Foxtons to increase its operating profit to £50 million, which is more than twice that delivered in 2024. Sam Cullen, a housing industry analyst at Peel Hunt, said making more acquisitions would be the 'key driver' of the growth that Foxtons is hoping for. The previous 'medium-term' target, set out two years ago, was to get adjusted operating profits up to at least £28 million. Foxtons said the updated target 'reflects the significant progress made to date [and] the scale of the opportunity ahead'. • Business live blog: Trump tells Powell he should have cut rates Since Gittins took over in September 2022 there has been a relentless focus on maximising Foxtons' vast pool of data and bringing back the sales culture he enjoyed in the early Noughties as a trainee at the company. At the head office in Chiswick there are now leader boards ranking workers' performances, upbeat music plays throughout, and there are flashing lights and whooping when someone presses the big red button in the middle of the office after closing a deal. Gittins has said it is all about 'celebrating success'. The changes have undoubtedly improved the company's financial performance: market share has increased, last year's profits were more than double what they were in 2022 and the share price is up almost 80 per cent. It has not been smooth sailing, however. Earlier this year a number of current and former staff told Bloomberg that 'a culture of sexual harassment, antisemitism, racism and bullying' exists within some Foxtons' branches. Gittins said in March that he was 'saddened' by the experiences reported by some of his colleagues. 'We don't tolerate that sort of behaviour,' he said. 'Ultimately, like many businesses in the modern world, Foxtons is on a journey. While very solid progress has been made, there's more to do.' More investments in people and culture, which 'are at the heart of estate agency', have been promised with the hope that will 'further strengthen Foxtons' competitive advantages and support continued growth'. 'We have more than doubled our profit since 2021 and our ambition is to double it again in this next phase of growth,' Gittins told a capital markets day at the London Stock Exchange on Wednesday. 'We have a clear and scalable strategy, an industry-leading operating platform and a commitment to delivering outstanding results for our customers through reliable, high-quality service. I'm excited about the opportunity ahead.' Foxtons shares fell by ⅓p, or 0.5 per cent, to close at 65p on Wednesday.
The Guardian
19 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Abba singer Björn Ulvaeus teases fans in London with AI-assisted musical
After bringing a blockbuster hologram version of Abba to a purpose-built venue in east London, Björn Ulvaeus's next technological exploration is a musical that he's written with the help of artificial intelligence. Ulvaeus told an audience at SXSW London that he was 'three-quarters' of the way through writing a new musical which he has created with assistance from AI songwriting tools. He did admit the technology had limitations when it comes to songwriting, saying it was 'lousy at [writing a whole song]' and 'very bad at lyrics' but was helpful whenever the 80-year-old songwriter reached a creative impasse. 'You can prompt a lyric you have written about something, and you're stuck maybe, and you want this song to be in a certain style,' Ulvaeus said. 'You can ask it, how would you extend? Where would you go from here? It usually comes out with garbage, but sometimes there is something in it that gives you another idea.' The use of AI is a hugely contentious issue in the music industry. This year, Dua Lipa and Paul McCartney were among hundreds of artists who signed an open letter urging the prime minister to protect artists' copyright and not 'give our work away' to big tech. Ulvaeus said AI isn't the creative threat but rather a collaborator. 'It's fantastic. It is such a great tool,' he added. 'It is like having another songwriter in the room with a huge reference frame. It is really an extension of your mind. You have access to things that you didn't think of before.' The musical is far from Ulvaeus's first flirtation with technology. Abba Voyage, the concert which launched three years ago in a purpose-built arena that featured digital avatars of the band, has been a huge success and was described as a 'dazzling retro-futurist extravaganza' by the Guardian. It was a risky venture as Pophouse Entertainment, the company behind the project needed to bring in £140m in order to break even. He told the audience at SXSW London that he embraced experimental approaches to songwriting and studio technology much earlier in his career. This experimental approach is characteristic of Ulvaeus's career-long fascination with technological innovation. During his time in Abba, he along with bandmate Benny Andersson 'always wanted the latest thing', and were among the first to use the Mini Moog synthesizer and use digital recording machines in their studio. 'We were always on the lookout for, you know, you would hear a sound on the record. How was that done? And then you get that stuff,' said. The Abba songwriter told the audience that he sees AI as the latest evolution in his career rather than a threat which is how it is perceived by many. 'I actually wake up curious every morning,' Ulvaeus said, explaining the drive that has kept him creating decades after Abba's peak. 'Everything's really after our wanting to try new things.'
