Open air sex is risk to restaurant plans as gay group claim 'post dusk social networking' could be hit

Concerns have been raised that plans to open a riverboat restaurant on the River Nene in Northampton could clash with 'cruisers and cottagers' who indulge in open air sex in a nearby car park.

Members of Northampton Borough Council's planning committee will discuss plans to open the floating restaurant close to Midsummer Meadows, near Bedford Road, next week.

But in a report shown to committee members, council planning officer, Richard Boyt, said both Northamptonshire Police and the Northants Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Alliance (NLGBA) had raised concerns about allowing the restaurant to open in an area which is renowned for people taking part in outdoor sex sessions.



He warned councillors: "Northamptonshire Police have noted the potential clash with 'cruisers and cottagers' who frequent nearby areas."

Discussing similar concerns raised by the NLGBA, he added: "The NLGBA states that a commercial activity will harm the openness, the semi-natural character of the meadows, and the freedom of the area. Further they state that if the 'post dusk social networking' is displaced elsewhere this may be an area of concern."

Despite the concerns of the two groups, the planning official said their worries should not prevent the restaurant from opening and added that he believed it would actually improve the Midsummer Meadows area.