The Brentwood Gazette has won a campaign to prevent a sex shop opening in the town. An application for the shop in a busy area used by children has been withdrawn after opposition orchestrated by the paper. This included organising a protest petition and individual objections.
The paper printed a form on which residents could object and even provided a “post box” in its front office where they could be left. Now, after considering several hundred objections, Bright Light Leisure, which runs a chain of sex shops in London and East Anglia, has backed down.
The Gazette’s campaign was praised by local MP Eric Pickles. He said: “Full credit to the Gazette for leading an important campaign which was more about what Brentwood might become than just the future of one shop unit.”
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Editor Roger Watkins denied the campaign was nimbyism. He said the Gazette acknowledged there was a demand for sex shops but pointed out neighbouring towns had them and Soho was only a short train ride away.
This week the Gazette’s comment column said of the campaign victory: “…it is a triumph for a vigorous, free press perceptive and competent enough to articulate the feelings of its readers and willing to fight hard for the community it serves.”
Watkins added: “On this occasion the sex shop bosses have made their excuses and left but we are well aware they could be back. We shall be waiting.”
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By Jon Slattery
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