THE battle to keep Oxford’s only lapdancing club open came before London’s Court of Appeal yesterday.

Al Thompson, owner of The Lodge in Oxpens Road, spent £150,000 converting it into a strip club in 2011 before Oxford City Council refused to renew his licence a year later, raising concerns about the character of the area, the court heard yesterday.

The High Court backed the council decision last June, which forced the club to close, but Mr Thompson appealed and the club was reopened on a temporary basis.

Yesterday, lawyer Gerald Gouriet, for Mr Thompson, argued the council had failed to explain its decision properly and wrongly took into account future plans for the area, rather than its current character.

Mr Thompson will now have to wait for the verdict of three top judges who have reserved judgment and will deliver their verdict in writing at a date yet to be set.

Lawyer Ranjit Bhose, for the council, told the Court of Appeal hearing that the High Court judge was right to dismiss the claim.

He said the council complied with its duty to give adequate and intelligible reasons that enabled Mr Thompson to understand its decision.