Residents upset over draft LEP

A document for exhibition on the City of Sydney website reveals Council will have the power to green-light red-light premises in areas zoned “general residential”.

Elizabeth Elenius, co-convener of the Pyrmont Action group is “gobsmacked” by the discovery that Council could potentially grant zoning of brothels within general residential zones.

“It’s just outrageous,” she said. “Why can’t you have a brothel in the ‘mixed zone’, the mixed development allows all sorts of extraordinary things which we don’t want to see happen in what we have always understood to be residential.”

The document in question is the Draft Sydney Local Environment Plan 2011. The document was provided by the state government to Council who made amendments to the draft. The inclusion of “Home occupations (sex services)” ,which could be allowed with consent from council, was one such amendment.

“The Council has added all these other things which are so totally inappropriate,” Ms Elenius said. “It allows any future council to do the most dastardly things; one would hope that the current Council will not allow it.”

City News contacted council about the issue and received the following reply.

“Following Council amalgamations the City of Sydney is creating a standard set of guidelines to provide consistency across the City,” the spokesperson said. “These changes include standardising planning controls for adult premises. The change simply means adult premises operating in residential areas must comply with all Council requirements.”

Ms Elenius also questioned the additions made by Council in the area of public recreation zones.

Under the possible developments deemed appropriate with consent Council has added; “charter and tourism boating facilities, boat sheds, electricity generating works, marinas, roads, registered clubs, water treatment facilities, roadside stalls, research stations, and waste or resource management facilities.”

In a joint statement between Pyrmont Community Group and Pyrmont Action Group, Jean Stuart and Ms Elenius condemned the additions.

“Council has gone totally overboard and included every alienation that has ever occurred in public parks in the past,” the statement read. “What can’t they be used for – logging, mining, and waste dumps! Will there be any green space left?  Where will the children play?”

The group’s statement pleaded for Council to undertake a proper review and consult closely with the community so that any aberrations could be fixed.

The Draft Sydney Local Environment Plan 2011 is on exhibition until April 4.