Historic hotel may become sex club

GLOUCESTER, England, Aug. 27 (UPI) -- A British planning official has praised plans to transform a historic hotel into a daytime restaurant and nighttime adult sex club.

Mystique, the company that submitted the plans to officials in Gloucester, England, said it wants to transform the city's 170-year-old New County Hotel into a restaurant with a "strong vegetarian/pescatarian theme" by day and a private members-only club at night that would include a "fetish room for adult enjoyment," The Daily Telegraph reported Thursday.

The company said the sex club would be aimed at the gay community, "swinging couples" and those following "alternative sexual lifestyles."

Mike Gethin, Gloucester City Council's top planning officer, backed the sex club plans.

"This application has been carefully assessed, and it is considered that its determination cannot be based on moral issues because they are not planning matters," he said. "The proposal would create an active use to the ground-floor street frontage of the building, which would add vitality and vibrancy (to) this part of Southgate Street."

The City Council's planning committee is to discuss the application Tuesday.