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A STRIP club has been given the green light to open in Albury, but with 16 strict conditions on its liquor licence. The club, which received its licence last Thursday, will operate under the same roof as the existing Centrefolds brothel in Drome Street. Conditions imposed by the NSW Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority include a ban on bikie gang colours. All drinks, whether or not they contain liquor, must not be served in a glass or breakable plastic container. The club must provide a courtesy bus during operating hours for “the quiet and good order of the neighbourhood”, and can operate between 10am and 4am daily. The club can trade on Good Friday and Christmas Day, but liquor can only be served on those days with a meal. Sexual acts between staff and patrons are banned at all times within the club. Graham Harvey owns the building and said his son, Jack, would operate the venue. He would have no involvement in the operation. Mr Harvey said the club would be a separate business to the brothel, but it would operate from an adjoining vacant building which would need to be fitted out. “Years ago when it was first raised no one wanted the strip club in the area,” he said. “Albury-Wodonga is a different city now. “Anyone who thinks it would be bad for the area, I’d tell them to come and have a look. “I think they’d be quite surprised.” Mr Harvey said his son would determine an opening date. A development application for the Drome Street site had been approved by Albury Council in 2009, and the application for a liquor licence application was lodged in May. Police had raised concerns about the application, noting there were “some risks” with the proposal. Mr Harvey said the venue would bring people to the city, and said the nearest strip clubs were in Shepparton and Canberra. “My attitude when we first lodged the development application was that it would add to Albury-Wodonga’s economy,” he said. “People will come from other areas and they will spend money. “The manager will be looking for local people to work there, it will help with employment and income.” But Mr Harvey said “time would tell” if the club was successful. The venue must become a paid member of the Albury Liquor Accord as part of its licence. A spokesman for the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority said it was confident the conditions imposed would reduce alcohol related harm through strict rules relating to the provision of security guards, CCTV cameras and the conduct of strippers. “When considering these types of applications, the authority must take a range of factors into consideration including any submissions,” the spokesman said. “The authority was satisfied that the applicant had appropriately consulted the local community in accordance with NSW liquor laws and that appropriate development consent was in place. “There were no objections from local police, council or community, although NSW police sought licence conditions.”

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