Results tagged “Chester” from Chester Chronicle - And Finally

A MASSAGE parlour on the outskirts of Chester is seeking compensation from the Highways Agency alleging loss of trade due to roadworks.

The business, known as The Bungalow, hit the headlines in November after it emerged the Highways Agency had erected temporary signs directing customers to the parlour during the upheaval.

Owner Bonita Westgarth has successfully applied for the massage parlour in Welsh Road, Woodbank, to be granted lawful development status giving her the green light to apply for compensation.

She said in a letter to Chester City Council: "Since the commencement of roadworks the scale of my business has been reduced very considerably and I am making an application for compensation as a consequence."

In a report, planning enforcement officer Leslie Smith explained the history of the site. He said in 2000 the business was invited to apply for a change-of-use planning application "to regularise" the use of the premises but this was refused on highway grounds as the entrance is near to traffic lights at the junction of the A550 and A5117.

During an enforcement inquiry it emerged that there was sufficient evidence to indicate the premises had been in continuous use for more than 10 years and therefore an application for a lawful development certificate was likely to succeed.

Mr Smith added: "In the past year or so extensive road improvements have taken place in the area which she says has led to a loss of business. Compensation is only payable by the Highways Agency to lawful businesses and she has been advised by her solicitor to submit the application now."

Highways agency spokeswoman Barbara Phillips said: "We are not aware of such a claim being made to the Highways Agency. However, the Highways Agency does not provide compensation to businesses for alleged loss of trade except in the sole circumstance of access to a business being totally denied as a result of its work. No business has had access totally denied as a result of work on the A5117 Improvement Scheme."

In November we reported that diversion signs had been erected by the Highways Agency due to £58m highway improvement works on the A5117, alerting drivers they could still gain access to The Bungalow.

A CHESTER lap dancing club has come with "a cheeky" idea for how struggling companies can defy the credit crunch.

Dan Phillips, booking agent for the Platinum Lounge in Bridge Street, says businesses can now get themselves noticed and increase their bottom-line...by advertising on the girls' bare behinds.

Dan said the commercials were similar - if a little more racy - to those on Premiership football shirts or Formula 1 drivers' racing suits.

He said: "I thought of it more as a cheeky bit of fun until we realised the potential that it was an interesting and unusual way for people to get their businesses noticed.

"Local firms can sponsor as many of the girls as they wish and we hope the novelty of the scheme will ensure their message will stick in the minds of those people visiting the club.

"We have a very diverse selection of customers from all walks of life and are pretty sure they will have never seen anything like this before."

The dancers will have the 15cm by 10m adverts applied to their bottoms using a stencil and body paints.

"I had to do a lot of research with a tape measure to come up with the optimum size for the adverts!" added Dan.

Corporate sponsors will be offered a special deal for their clients to visit the club and Dan reckons "it could just help clinch that important contract".

Platinum lap dancer Emma-Louise, who has had a stencil applied to her bottom as part of the research stage, said; "I think it's a nice fun idea and a bit quirky which is exactly the kind of thing that sets the Platinum Lounge apart from many other venues of this type.

"I always like to help out, and anything which helps promote anybody's business must be a good thing, especially during these 'credit crunch' times."

THOUSANDS of motorists are being directed to a Chester massage parlour by Highways Agency road signs.

Diversions set up at major roadworks in Shotwick are alerting drivers that they can gain access to a business called The Bungalow.

The business, which offers customers various services in its pink room and red room, has been in operation for 16 years and is just yards from the busy A550 on the Cheshire-Flintshire border.

Owner of The Bungalow, Bonnie Westgarth applied to Chester City Council in September this year to change the use of the building to a massage parlour.
Now, due to the £58m Deeside Park Junction Improvement project, thousands of road users will be able to find it.

Highways Agency spokeswoman Barbara Phillips said: "As part of the Deeside junction improvement works, changes are being made to the access of this business.
", the black and yellow signs have been put up to alert individuals using the business that they can still gain access.

"As far as we are aware, the business is a massage parlour but if someone came to us to say it was an illegal business then the signs would come down."

The roadworks, which are designed to ease congestion at the key gateway to England and Wales, are expected to be completed by December.

The temporary signs advertising The Bungalow - which stand alongside those directing people to the M56, Manchester and Birkenhead - will be removed once the works have been completed.

Staff at The Bungalow have declined to comment.

A DRUG-DEALING ex-fireman drove for a quarter of a mile with a policeman clinging on to the bonnet of his car.

The white-knuckle ride lasted for more than two minutes as John Williams, 53, of Glyn Garth, Blacon, tried to escape from two plain clothes police officers.

Williams was found guilty of conspiracy to supply the class A drugs heroin and crack cocaine and dangerous driving.

The court heard PCs Roger Smith and Iestyn Lewis- Jones were patrolling Chester city centre on Saturday, October 20, when they followed three suspicious men to a house in Mason Street, off Liverpool Road.

Moments later Williams turned into the street in a green Hyundai Accent with drug dealers Kevin Corbett, 42, and Liam Harvey, 20, as passengers.

Myles Wilson, prosecuting, told the court: "One of the officers tried to open a passenger door, shouting "stop police", but the occupants locked the doors.

"PC Smith smashed the passenger window with his elbow and jumped on to the bonnet of the car.

"The second officer reached into the car to try and take the keys when the driver's side window was wound up trapping his arm."

Williams then reversed on to a busy Liverpool Road and started to accelerate towards Fountains roundabout. PC Lewis-Jones ran along side the car with his colleague, PC Smith, spread-eagled on its bonnet.

Luckily, PC Lewis-Jones' arm worked free allowing him to call for back-up as the car disappeared towards St Oswald's Way. Williams slowed down to allow his passengers out and PC Smith rolled off the bonnet.

Corbett, 42, Harvey, 20, and Williams will be sentenced at Chester Crown Court on Monday, April 21.