An east London strip club could be transformed into a boutique hotel and traditional pub under plans submitted to Tower Hamlets Council.
The proposed redevelopment of The Nags Head in Aldgate comes after the venue faced repeated challenges in retaining its sexual entertainment venue (SEV) licence.
The venue on 17-19 Whitechapel Road says it has been operating as a strip club since 1980, however, councillors have twice voted not to renew its SEV licence in recent years, which it has to apply for annually.
Members of the council’s licensing committee voted to revoke the Nags Head’s licence in September 2023.
Plans submitted with the council suggest the change would “provide a more positive contribution to the local area”.
This followed a visit to the premises by undercover licensing officers, during which performers rubbed their breasts in their faces – in breach of licensing rules.
The council then agreed to reinstate the licence after the venue owners appealed, but with extra conditions attached.
However the council’s licensing sub-committee again voted not to renew the club’s licence in September last year. Almost 300 people had written to the council to object to renewal, and councillors said they “remained concerns” by the breaches found in 2022.
The club appealed again, and was allowed to retain its licence on 9th December.
In a statement published to its website last November, the Nags Head insisted that it would “remain in the safe and regulated environment of adult entertainment”.
However its owner – Nags Head Limited – has now applied for planning permission to convert the building into a hotel and pub.
Documents submitted with the application suggest the basement and ground floor would become a “traditional London pub and restaurant”.
New floors would also be added to increase the building’s height to five storeys. These upper floors would house 24-room hotel.
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A planning statement submitted with the application says this would mean the venue could also open in the daytime.
It says: “The proposed development would provide a more positive contribution to the local area and will assist the ongoing regeneration of this section of Whitechapel Road.”
The statement adds that neighbours who attended a pre-application consultation event in February “expressed strong support for uses that remain open during the day and provide an active presence on this busy street”.
Nags Head Limited submitted its application in April, and it became available to view on the council’s planning website on Tuesday, 26th May.
The plans can be viewed and commented on using reference number PA/26/00704/A1.
The Nags Head did not respond to a request for comment.