Hope Street avoids eviction

The City of Sydney has voted against evicting a sex worker support centre from its illegal residence on Bourke St.

The street-sex worker support centre run by Hope Street had a development application rejected by Council on the grounds of inappropriate zoning.

The City has decided to let Hope Street continue its service within the residential area of Darlinghurst until a new premise is found.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP said Hope Street compromises planning controls but ultimately provides an essential service.

“We acknowledge importance of service to a very vulnerable group but it’s in residential zoning,” Ms Moore said.

“We’re not taking any compliance action. . . The service stays and we won’t remove them.”

The City is working with Hope Street to find a new more suitable premise.

Ms Moore and Councillor Shayne Mallard both said Council staff had already begun investigating and had identified possible future locations for Hope Street.

Ms Moore requested Council staff prepare a report of the progress on finding Hope Street a new location by the next Council meeting.

Cr Irene Doutney expressed concern over the length of time such a search would take and over the new building chosen to house the sex-worker support centre.

Women affiliated with the centre on Bourke St told Cr Doutney a domestic property was essential as it provided the kind of emotional and atmospheric security not possible with a  shop front.

“I live near to a brothel. I hear obscene language every day. You just have to live with it.”

“We have to give them the opportunity to improve,” she said while a cheer erupted from the audience.

Councillors Meredith Burgmann and Chris Harris supported the idea of Hope Street continuing its services at its current location.

Cr Burgmann said she was worried the relocation process wouldn’t happen at all.

Since the centre survives off cheap rent,  a special deal made with the landlord, Cr Harris said he was worried a different premises would compromise the ability of Hope Street to remain financially viable.

“There is nothing written to ensure the financial suitability of this property,” he said.

President of East Sydney Neighbourhood Association Eliza James said she was puzzled by the lack of respect the councillors showed to the planning controls of the area.

Ms James praised the efforts of the Lord Mayor and Cr Mallard in understanding the location and how it was inappropriate for the Hope Street centre.

“They were prepared to apply the law and the rules as had been recommended by their staff to ensure that different interest groups didn’t collide in an inappropriate fashion.”

“This service must be located where it can exist into the future. The appropriate location is of course where it existed and was integrated close to Kings Cross station, at the edge of Woolloomoolloo”

Complaints at the previous council meeting included verbal abuse by the centre’s clients, the spread of used needles on the ground and within residential bins and the centre’s proximity to two schools.

Hope Street CEO Andrew Dawkins praised the Council for its fair and balanced judgement.

“Hope Street will work with the council to help find a facility that accommodates the needs of all parties and does not compromise the work of this vital service,” he said.