A CHURCH minister has criticised plans to open a sex shop near his Darlington church.

The Reverend Alan Coates, minister of Bondgate Methodist Church, is opposing plans by a Leeds company to open a sex shop in Bondgate.

Principal Enterprise, which owns several adult shops in the UK, wants to open an Adult X store on the corner of Bondgate and Four Riggs.

The site is also only yards from a proposed doctors' surgery and counselling centre for victims of sexual abuse.

There are three licensed sex shops in Darlington, in Victoria Road, North Road and Grange Road.

Mr Coates said: "Bondgate is a nice area. As a church we would oppose it totally. It would be in the centre of the town, where young families and children would see it when they walk past.

"I don't think this is an ideal place for a sex shop. There are already three in Darlington."

Darlington Borough Council said it had received two objections from neighbouring businesses.

The owners of Jackson's newsagents, next door to the proposed site, have sent a letter of objection to the council.

Susan Jackson said: "There is only a small minority of people who want that sort of shop.

"Customers have told me there are already two or three in the town centre, so they are already very well catered for. We think it is bad taste to have a rape centre near a sex shop."

The Netherlaw doctors' surgery, in Stanhope Road, recently bought Blacketts pub to convert into a surgery. Discussions are under way to provide a centre for victims of domestic violence, sexual abuse and rape.

Dr Andrew Michie, a GP at the practice for 15 years, said he was not aware of the plans.

He said: "In principal I have no objection to people plying a legal trade wherever they wanted. I would not personally object without having discussed the matter with other partners."

The sex shop licence application will be heard at by the council's licensing committee on May 15.

There was no response to calls made to Principal Enterprises yesterday.