Pole dancer can keep garage studio despite neighbours' complaints of ‘grunting'

Telegraph

09-06-2025

A fitness instructor can use her garage as a pole dancing studio after winning a fight with neighbours.
Samilou Saunders has been running the studio from her £700,000 bungalow in Christchurch, Dorset, for the last five years, but faced having to close it after neighbours complained.
They said the business had 'devastated' their lives, causing problems with parking, and complained about the sound of 'grunting and loud music'.
Meanwhile, the studio's clients, said to include doctors and teachers, accused elderly neighbours of 'generational bias' against pole dancing.
Ms Saunders, a mother in her 40s, had to submit a retrospective planning application for a change of use of the garage into what she called a 'modest and sustainable' small social enterprise.
She is the only employee of the business and generally works about 20 hours a week, with small classes of up to eight.
But residents expressed concerns that the business hours – 9am to 9pm Monday to Friday and 9am to midday at weekends – could mean classes running 66 hours a week, with 500 cars blocking the street in that time.
The planning committee voted to approve the application, with seven in favour, none against and two abstaining, with a condition that no amplified music be played in the garage during business use.
They restricted the business use to indoor sport and fitness and ruled the building must revert back to a domestic garage if the business ends.
'No personal animosity'
Rita Raynor, who spoke on behalf of objectors at a planning committee meeting of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council, said most of the letters of support were from people outside the area who did not have to live with the business.
Ms Raynor said after the meeting she was 'disappointed', adding: 'We accept that people have to make a living, there's no personal animosity.'
' We are not against it because it's pole dancing, if it had been anything else, like a children's party business, we would feel the same.'
Mrs Saunders said she had no further comment. But she previously told reporters the row had led her to ignore neighbours in the street, saying: 'This has been going on for nearly two years. It's been a lot of stress and I've been really down about it.
'Horrible and shocking comments'
'Some of the things neighbours said were quite horrible and shocking. I don't feel like I can wave and smile at people any more. I feel intimidated. They [objectors] will stand and stare at me when I leave the house.'
Neighbours also had the backing of Margaret Phipps, a local councillor, who said the studio was 'unsuitable' for a residential area.
She said: 'This is a seven-day-a-week operation. It is overwhelmingly being used for the unauthorised business which commenced as soon as the permission [for the garage] was granted.'
She denied the hours were 'limited' and said locals had 'no respite', adding: 'There is potential if this application is granted for 528 people a week, with no suggestion of a cap on the number of people.
'This is a full-scale commercial business in a residential area. It was granted in good faith as a garage by this council.'