Bedford town centre is the site of over 200 local independent businesses who are struggling to survive in the recession. Opening a strip club here would devastate efforts to regenerate the area by driving away the couple, professional and family trade. Very few members of the public want to dine or shop in the vicinity of a strip club. If we truly want our town to be a safe place to live and work, this licence should be refused on the grounds that the character of the area is inappropriate for such a venue.