Neighbour’s moan led to exposure of fetish club

Reporter: Anna Clarke
Date published: 16 October 2012


A CLUB which holds fetish, bondage and domination nights is to go before planners following a neighbour’s complaint about... parking.

Mossley’s Manchester Alternative Rooms (MARS) failed to ask for change of use at its Vale Mill headquarters to turn an industrial unit into a private members’ club. Planners only found out after a complaint from a resident alleging problems from people attending the club, near his home..

A decision is set to be made by Tameside Council next month.

The club describes itself as “a platform for events that are fun, sociable, inform and educate around the themes of the alternative lifestyle”.

It features a rubber room — described as “every rubberists’ dream”— and hosts domination groups and evenings of “gasmasks, leather and heavy bondage”.

A spokeswoman from MARS confirmed the club has now applied for a change of use. She said: “We aim to provide a forum for people with alternative lifestyles and we host social networking and educational events representing niche aspects of the alternative community.

“Although MARS is a private members’ club, it should not be confused with swinging clubs or any other club of a salacious nature. We have a strictly-enforced no-sex policy.

“We haven’t advertised, as many of our members have suffered persecution in the past. As a private club, we demonstrate absolute discretion — both for our members and the surrounding community.”


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