JNL
Cyburbian
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My country recently legalised prostitution and now we're struggling with the issue of where brothels can be located... Has anyone else had to deal with this?
SEX BUSINESSES BANNED WITHIN 250M OF HOMES
Auckland, Sept 10 - Auckland City Council is moving to ban clusters of brothels in suburban commercial areas and any sex business within 250 metres 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.
Parliament's legalising of prostitution and brothel-keeping had handed the council a job it did not want, said committee chair 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 being intimidated by having to walk past sex industry premises and their offensive signage on their way to schools and buses.
The draft bylaw sees to it that Auckland won't get shop window style brothels as seen in the tourist quarter of Amsterdam in Holland.
Brothels won't 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 area, brothels and commercial sex premises are banned from residential precincts and also precincts of Viaduct Harbour, the Western Reclamation, the Port, Aotea Square and even Britomart.
They will not be allowed within residential zones, within 250m of any site zoned residential, ``special purpose 2'' or a preschool, place of worship, community facility, or major public transport interchange.
Operators will not be able to 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.
However, the proximity ban on brothels near places of worship will not apply to the central city.
Staff explained this was because the Act said councils must provide some areas where there could be brothels.
Bringing in a ban within 250m of a place of worship would knock out brothels -- as well as the proposed bylaw.
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''.
A hard-hitting measure suggested by the committee is that in the review of the District Plan, brothels and commercial sex premises be excluded from the definition of entertainment facilities.
Planning consents for such businesses will be treated as non complying with the entertainment zone and will have to withstand public objections.'
The bylaw proposes leniency for brothels which operated under the guise of massage parlours before the Prostitution Reform Act came in. They won't have to shift premises in order comply with new location rules until June 2004.
The draft bylaw also suggests strict limits on signage.
Signs won't be more than 1m by 0.3m in size, be neon or flashing, and display words or images or models which in the opinion of council 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.
Mrs Yates said it was a curious thing when 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 add administration of the new Prostitution Reform Act to its duties.
Developing the bylaw alone will cost ratepayers $35,000.
NZPA NZH gf cs 10/09/03 18-57NZ
SEX BUSINESSES BANNED WITHIN 250M OF HOMES
Auckland, Sept 10 - Auckland City Council is moving to ban clusters of brothels in suburban commercial areas and any sex business within 250 metres 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.
Parliament's legalising of prostitution and brothel-keeping had handed the council a job it did not want, said committee chair 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 being intimidated by having to walk past sex industry premises and their offensive signage on their way to schools and buses.
The draft bylaw sees to it that Auckland won't get shop window style brothels as seen in the tourist quarter of Amsterdam in Holland.
Brothels won't 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 area, brothels and commercial sex premises are banned from residential precincts and also precincts of Viaduct Harbour, the Western Reclamation, the Port, Aotea Square and even Britomart.
They will not be allowed within residential zones, within 250m of any site zoned residential, ``special purpose 2'' or a preschool, place of worship, community facility, or major public transport interchange.
Operators will not be able to 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.
However, the proximity ban on brothels near places of worship will not apply to the central city.
Staff explained this was because the Act said councils must provide some areas where there could be brothels.
Bringing in a ban within 250m of a place of worship would knock out brothels -- as well as the proposed bylaw.
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''.
A hard-hitting measure suggested by the committee is that in the review of the District Plan, brothels and commercial sex premises be excluded from the definition of entertainment facilities.
Planning consents for such businesses will be treated as non complying with the entertainment zone and will have to withstand public objections.'
The bylaw proposes leniency for brothels which operated under the guise of massage parlours before the Prostitution Reform Act came in. They won't have to shift premises in order comply with new location rules until June 2004.
The draft bylaw also suggests strict limits on signage.
Signs won't be more than 1m by 0.3m in size, be neon or flashing, and display words or images or models which in the opinion of council 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.
Mrs Yates said it was a curious thing when 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 add administration of the new Prostitution Reform Act to its duties.
Developing the bylaw alone will cost ratepayers $35,000.
NZPA NZH gf cs 10/09/03 18-57NZ
