Bylaw forces brothels away from houses

By WAYNE THOMPSON

The Auckland City Council is moving to ban clusters of brothels in suburban commercial areas and any sex business within 250m of homes.

The council's city development committee yesterday approved a draft bylaw to control brothels, massage parlours and sex shops - and even their signs.

The legalising of prostitution and brothel-keeping had handed the council a job it did not want, said committee chairwoman Juliet Yates.

But she said the draft bylaw in response to the Prostitution Reform Act was well thought-out and researched and heeded the concerns of residential communities.

Her concerns included young girls having to walk past sex industry premises and their offensive signage on their way to schools and buses.

The draft bylaw ensures that Auckland will not have shop window-style brothels as seen in Amsterdam.

Brothels will not be allowed at ground level on any site that is subject to controls on frontages - which is most of the central business area, including the notorious area of Karangahape Rd and Fort St.

In the central city, brothels and commercial sex premises are banned from residential precincts and Viaduct Harbour, the Western Reclamation, the Port, Aotea Square and even Britomart.

In the isthmus, brothels will be excluded from residential zones, within 250m of any site zoned residential, special purpose 2, or preschools, places of worship, community facilities and major public transport interchanges.

Operators cannot set up shop within 75m of an existing brothel - measured both vertically and horizontally.

"There won't be much left of the city for brothels, will there?" said Deputy Mayor David Hay.

But the proximity ban near places of worship will not apply to the central city.

Staff explained that this was because the act said councils must provide some areas for brothels.

Community boards are relieved that the council has ignored the recommendation of a social impact report that small owner-operator brothels should be permitted under the district plan definition of "home-occupation business".

In a hard-hitting move, the committee suggested that when the district plan is reviewed, brothels and commercial sex premises should be excluded from the definition of entertainment facilities.

Planning consents for such businesses will be treated as non-complying with the entertainment zone and must withstand public objections.

The bylaw proposes leniency for brothels that operated under the guise of massage parlours before the act came in. They will not have to shift premises until next June.

The draft bylaw also suggests strict limits on signs. They will be restricted in size to 1m by 30cm, cannot be neon or flashing, and must not display words, images or models that in the council's opinion are sexually explicit, lewd or offensive.

If the bylaw controls are approved by the full council, the public will get a say on them in November.

Mrs Yates won committee support for asking the Government why the act kept secret the names of holders of brothelkeeper's certificates. She said people had to publicly advertise their names when seeking liquor licences, and businesses had to disclose the names of directors.

Councillor Noeleen Raffills won backing for an expression of concern that the council was having to administer the new act.

Developing the bylaw alone will cost ratepayers $35,000.

Proposed bylaw

Controls on location of brothels and other sex-related businesses.

* No brothels within 250m of residential zone.

* No sex businesses within some central city precincts.

* Brothels must be licensed as a health measure.

* Signs restricted in size and must be tasteful.

* Existing brothels have a year's grace to move.