Benedict’s beats off brothel application

Benedict’s beats off brothel

City of Sydney has now refused a development application for a brothel across from a church and two universities on Broadway.

The application by Green Services Pty Ltd under the name Jai Reid was refused last Friday after a total of 20 submissions were received from business owners and nearby churches and universities.

“The church does not want to advocate the closure of every brothel but there is a great deal of impropriety when they are located within the amenity of such an area,” said Fr Michael,” said Rev Fr Michael de Stoop who is the Administrator of St Benedict’s catholic Church on Broadway.

“You can imagine how unsavoury it is for parishioners to see signs outside a brothel as they come out of church after Mass and students entering the church and the University of Notre Dame,” he said.

The applicant refused to withdraw their application which has been on public exhibition since April 28th this year, after council planners asked them to withdraw the application the previous Thursday.

The application does not comply with some council planning requirements as it is adjacent to buildings deemed ‘sensitive’ such as churches and schools.

According to the Local Environmental Plan, a brothel cannot be within a 100 metre radius of school, place of public worship or community facility, unless they do not affect the school, church or amenity of surrounding residential areas.

A brothel can also be disallowed if there are sufficient complaints by residents, people who use the area and neighbours due to being in view of a church, school, place regularly frequented by children or having insufficient off-street car parking or unsuitable access.

The property owners now have the option of contesting the City of Sydney council’s decision in the Land and Environment Court

Fr Michael says he is sympathetic to the property owners’ loss from lease expenses but says they would lose more if they took the application to court.

“I guess with a place like a church it is different as many young people come with their parents for family events such as weddings and religious sacraments that take place at the church and the uni next door which also has various talks for people who are under 18.”

“If we don’t voice our concerns the court may overturn the Council’s decision,” he said.

The neighbouring University of Notre Dame, attached to the St Benedict parish, regularly enrols minors who begin university after graduating from high school.

Deputy Vice Chancellor of the Sydney Campus, Professor Hayden Ramsay

“I’m very pleased that the Council has not been supportive of this application, and we will do what we can within the process to oppose the development.

“The brothel is within sight of the University and the Church and next door to our School of Education which is obviously a concern, particularly given the presence of minors in the Church and studying at the University.

A City of Sydney spokesperson said there were a number of plans and mixed zoning objectives that the application does not comply with.

“The application also fails to comply with a number of the controls of the City’s Sex Industry Premises Development Control Plan which…  details a range of occupational health and safety measures such as an adequate number of toilets and CCTV on site,” the spokesperson said.

Father Michael said he was disappointed in comments made online following a Daily Telegraph story on the application.

“I am disappointed to hear that some people think that due to past tragic cases of sexual abuse by some of its members, the Catholic community is not entitled to speak out about issues such as the location of this proposed brothel.

“Despite this, the fact remains the Church would fail in her responsibility if she did not speak for the good of society, especially given that this is what Christ intends her to do,” he said.

by Danielle Nicastri