GAY QUARTER PLANS FOR LEICESTER CITY CENTRE

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Gay quarter plans for Leicester city centre

A nightclub entrepreneur is hoping to transform an area of the city into Leicester's unofficial gay quarter.

Venue owner Paul Giles has said that he would like to give the gay community "ownership" of a district in the city centre.

The area being proposed is the stretch of Belgrave Gate from its junctions with Abbey Street and Burleys flyover.

His two bars, Quebec and The Village, in Belgrave Gate, are what he sees as the start of a long-term plan to transform an area of Leicester into a gay-friendly district.

He says he is in talks over four more venues, all in the area.

Mr Giles said: "The plan is still very much in the pipeline but it would be fantastic to have a gay district in Leicester.

"Most other cities have one and it's about time we did, too.

"It brings in people from out of town and is great for the city's economy.

"It also promotes safety if there's an area of city which is completely gay-friendly."

The idea has been welcomed by bosses at the Leicester Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Centre (LGBT), who say that the city could "greatly benefit" from a gay village. The director of the centre, Ian Robson, said it would increase tourism and boost business.

He said: "Giving LGBT people more choice in where they socialise can only be a good thing.

"If we look at cities like Manchester, Brighton, Birmingham and London, we see that the city as a whole has greatly benefited by these gay villages with a huge increase in tourism which benefits all business in that area."

Plans to create a gay district have also been welcomed by city councillor Patrick Kitterick.

He said: "Cities have used gay villages to regenerate areas of their city centres.

"The Manchester village near Piccadilly Station is a very good example of this.

"The key to any area being successful is a good mix of gay and straight people using the area and adding to the diversity of the city."

The project would also include a scheme where people could buy shares in the village.

Mr Giles hopes to encourage investors to buy up 49% of his company Quebec Leisure, which would still give him the controlling 51% stake in the company.

"It would be aimed at the gay community, but it would by no means be exclusively for gay people," said Mr Giles.

"Having shares in the area would give a sense of ownership over the area and I would like every gay person in Leicester to own at least one."

The businessman hopes to convert four other properties, including the Aspen building.

He also plans to extend Quebec into the Royal Bank of Scotland building next door.

Mr Giles, who also organises the city's Gay Pride event, has started a group on the social networking site Facebook.

It aims to promote the shares scheme.

The group, which is called Shares in Quebec Leisure For Sale, already has about 80 members.