The first meeting of the new Association of City and County Councils (ACCC) today is expected to call for changes to the planning laws to make it more difficult to open lap-dancing or sex shops.
The ACCC, which brings together representatives from every local authority in the State, meets at the Mansion House in Dublin and will this morning debate a motion tabled by Labour Party councillor Emer Costello.
The motion calls on the Minister for the Environment to introduce legislation to regulate the planning aspects of the "adult entertainment" industry so that planning permission would be required for all adult entertainment retail and dance outlets.
At present anyone hoping to open a lap-dancing or strip club needs only to get a bar and a dance licence. Local residents or business owners in the area can object only on grounds such as noise levels.
The chairman of the ACCC, Michael O'Brien, said he expected the motion to be passed "unanimously".
Ms Costello, who is councillor in the Dublin city area where Stringfellow's lap-dancing club opens this evening, described the planning laws in relation to such clubs as "bizarre".
"Off-licences and pubs need to apply for planning permission. Internet cafes need planing permission. Offices need planning permission, yet adult entertainment shops need no planning permission."
Dublin City Council amended its City Development Plan in autumn 2004 to include the provision that "adult shops should be prohibited in residential areas". However, the policy cannot have the force of law unless there is a change to the planning laws at Oireachtas level.
Meanwhile, when Stringfellow's club opens on Parnell Street this evening, it will be the biggest nightclub in the State, with up to 100 women working there every evening providing nude table-side dancing.
