Owners have applied for the renewal of its sexual entertainment license during Cheltenham Festival race weeks.

A sexual abuse charity and an addiction charity are both calling for Cheltenham Borough Council to reject the renewal of 2 Pigs’ license at a hearing next week.

Gloucestershire Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre (GRASAC) and The Nelson Trust say the they have “serious concerns” about “the threat it poses to women and girls in the town.”

READ MORE: Fears over Cheltenham sex entertainment venue could lead to rise in violence against women

The renewal application is to re-license the alternative club as a sexual entertainment venue during the Cheltenham Festival week in 2022.

They are seeking the license from 6pm to 5am from March 15 to March 18 and from 8pm to 5am on March 14 and March 19.

In a joint statement, the CEO of GRASAC and The Nelson Trust said that sexual entertainment venues perpetuate “harmful attitudes that pose a risk to women in the area”.

Maggie Stewart, CEO of GRASAC, said: “We know from our many years of frontline work supporting survivors of rape and sexual abuse that violence against women and girls is directly linked to the misogynistic view that women are there to be objectified and used by men.

“We have serious concerns about the impact of sexual entertainment in venues, and believe it perpetuates harmful attitudes that pose a risk to women in the area.

“The council has a duty to eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation under the Equality Act 2010 and GRASAC on behalf of its clients, would expect and hope that the Council will do all in its power to ensure the safety of women and girls in the town.”

GRASAC is a specialist charity that works to increase understanding, and recognition, of sexual violence through education and public awareness, and The Nelson Trust is a Gloucestershire-based charity that brings belief, hope and long-term recovery to people whose lives have been torn apart by addiction.

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John Trolan, CEO of The Nelson Trust, said: “Many men attending these venues, we can assume will be intoxicated upon leaving the premises. Having been ‘entertained’ all women in the area are then at risk of being targeted with unwanted sexualised behaviour.

“There is a risk that having paid for being entertained, any other woman they come into contact with face an escalated risk of sexual assault/rape.”

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They cited a recent consultation conducted in August of this year by Cheltenham Borough Council which revealed that 71% of respondents did not feel safe, rising to 75% during race weeks.

In addition, 82% described some form of “low level” sexual harassment, with 32% reporting sexual assault, and only 6% of respondents said that they had not changed their behaviour during the evening in order to keep themselves safe.

These community experts are not the only ones to have raised objections to license renewal applications, with local residents telling Gloucestershire Live that they feel it will lead to more instances of sexual harassment and assault.

The rector of the Cheltenham Minster, St Mary’s also opposes the proposal, saying: “It is highly inappropriate to promote entertainment of a sexual nature in such close proximity to an ancient and active place of worship.”

A licensing officer said in a report that the council does not take any moral stand in relation to the operation of sex establishments.

“[This is] because the authority recognises that Parliament has made it lawful to operate a sex establishment and that such businesses are a legitimate part of the retail and leisure industries.”

The licensing committee will decide whether to grant permission or refuse the proposals at a meeting on November 3.

What do you think of the licensing request? Have you say in the comments below