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Brazilian Consulate in London Fumes Over 'Full Nudity' Strip Club Plan in Basement

08:38 GMT, 24 August 2022
CC BY-SA 3.0 / Joao R C Cunha / Embassy of Brazil, London
Svetlana Ekimenko
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The Brazilian Consulate in London occupies most of a building off Oxford Street, but the ground and basement floors are rented out separately. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, a Lebanese restaurant occupied the space under the offices.
Sputnik
The Consulate-General of Brazil in the UK capital, London, has expressed outrage over “inappropriate” plans for a strip club to be opened in its basement, The Evening Standard has reported.

“We find it absolutely inappropriate to allow a sexual entertainment venue to be established in the same building where consular functions are regularly exercised and through which circulate children, elderly and vulnerable people every day,” the consulate’s objection, submitted to Westminster council, is cited as stating.

According to the consulate, which occupies most of a six-story building in Vere Street, a license application for a sex entertainment venue underneath its offices breaches the 1949 Vienna Convention - an international agreement regulating treaties between states.
Brazil uses the building to issue visas, while supporting the main functions of its main embassy, located near Trafalgar Square.

“Not to mention the clear inconsistency that there would be between the granting of the required license and the commitment undertaken by parties to the Vienna Convention to co-operate for the adequate performance of functions by consular posts,” the consulate added.

The row broke out after Clarmans Clubs applied for a sex entertainment venue (SEV) license to provide “full nudity striptease” in the basement, which is rented out separately from the rest of the building used by the consulate.
According to the license application, Michelin-starred Brazilian chef Alberto Landgraf will open a “high-class” dining room called Bossa on the ground floor of the building.
If approved by Westminster council, which is due to discuss the application on 25 August, the entertainment venue would be open from 11pm to 2am on Monday and Tuesday and from 11pm to 5am on Wednesday to Saturday, according to a spokesman for the applicant.
The strip club plans were also frowned upon by the New West End Company, a business partnership of 600 UK and international retailers, restaurateurs, hoteliers, galleries and property owners in and around Oxford Street and Mayfair.

"We do not believe that a Sex Entertainment Venue is an appropriate use in this vicinity...indeed, we are concerned that allowing it, and setting a precedent, would significantly damage the area," a spokesman for the group said.

The law firm representing the applicants insisted that their client was “committed to operating the premises professionally and being good neighbors".
"Our client’s management team are one of, if not the most experienced SEVL operators in central London. Among other premises, they successfully operated SophistiCats Marylebone located a short distance away from Vere Street. Our client is confident that this experience can be successfully transferred to the premises at Vere Street to provide a premium restaurant and entertainment offering appropriate to the area that will be popular with local people and visitors alike,” Thomas and Thomas Partners Solicitors stated.
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