Redbridge Council officers will meet with the owners of an historic cinema turned banqueting hall to discuss their concerns after the venue held a strip show at the weekend.
Residents say the Black Magic Ladies Free event at the Mayfair Venue in Chadwell Heath High Road on Friday night ended with drunk women loudly roaming the streets at gone 3am.
The event, which was 18+, was referred to as “a ladies strip show” on ticketing websites.
A young mother living nearby said she was “disgusted with the blatant disregard of residents’ feelings” shown by the Mayfair Venue’s ownership during the incident.
She added: “Imagine my dismay when discovering on Friday evening that the area around my home was filled with scantily dressed intoxicated women.”
During a licensing hearing in March, which saw the banqueting suite granted permission to sell alcohol until 2.30am, the venue had promised residents it would hand out lollipops to revellers leaving the premises.
Another Chadwell Heath resident told the Recorder: “It is really disappointing that these kind of events are now going ahead.
“The owners had previously told us they were going to focus on operating mainly as a wedding venue.
“It’s a really historic local building and it is really sad to think that now it’s come to this: naked men and women dancing about in it.”
A council spokeswoman confirmed the incident had been investigated after a number of complaints were made by residents, but officers had determined no licensing conditions had been breached.
She said: “The event that took place over the weekend was within the terms of the licence issued for the premises.
“The activity provided is exempt from Sex Entertainment Venue controls legislation; however, we are concerned to see that these premises are providing such entertainment, as it is not conducive with the residential nature of premises nearby.
“An enforcement officer will visit the premises this week and discuss our concerns with the local management and seek assurances for their future consideration of their neighbours and family residences in the vicinity.”
The Mayfair Venue’s management stressed the event had been organised and promoted by an external agent, and they had not been aware the evening was being billed as a strip night.
Events at the venue will now be vetted by the management team to ensure they are suitable, and the Mayfair’s owners insist they take complaints from local residents very seriously.
The building remains primarily a location for weddings.
A spokesman added: “We at Mayfair profoundly apologise if this external event has offended our local residents and reassure them that this was an event that will not reoccur at our venue.
“Furthermore, due to the nature of the event we will closely oversee any external bookings to make sure any such events do not reoccur.”
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