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Consultation starts on proposed Brothels Bylaw

Christchurch City Council

Monday 11 June 2012, 4:54PM

By Christchurch City Council

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CHRISTCHURCH

Public consultation on a proposed Christchurch City Council Brothels (Location and Commercial Sexual Services Signage) Bylaw opens from today until 10 July 2012.

The proposed Bylaw would restrict the location of brothels, other than small owner-operator brothels, to specific commercial areas in Christchurch and Lyttelton and will not permit them to be located on a property that shares a boundary with a school or is immediately adjacent to any important open space area in the Central City.

Controls will also be placed on signage advertising commercial sexual services. This means signage would only be allowed in the same areas where brothels would be allowed to locate and prohibited elsewhere.

Alan Bywater Programme Manager Strong Communities says the Council decided there is a need for a bylaw as many of the known brothels were located in the Central City and their business premises are inaccessible or badly damaged following the 2011 earthquakes. These businesses may wish to temporarily or permanently relocate and currently there are no bylaw controls around where a brothel can set up in the city.

“While the Council cannot prohibit brothels, or be too restrictive about where they can locate, this bylaw will place controls on where and how operator-run brothels can set up business,” he says.

Small owner-operator brothels (SOOBs) as defined in the Prostitution Reform Act, would continue to be permitted across the city.

The proposed Brothels Bylaw can be viewed:

 

Public consultation on the proposed Brothels Bylaw runs from 11 June until 10 July 2012. Submissions on this proposal can be made either:

through the Have Your Say website: www.ccc.govt.nz/HaveYourSay

via email to: brothelsbylaw@ccc.govt.nz

in writing to:

Freepost 178
‘Submissions on proposed Council Brothels Bylaw 2012’
Christchurch City Council
Democracy Services
PO Box 73013
Christchurch 8154
The Council will hold four drop-in sessions where members of the public can view the proposed bylaw, ask Council staff questions and make a submission.

Drop-in sessions will be held on:

Tuesday, 19 June from 2.30pm to 6.30pm
Christchurch Netball Centre, 455 Hagley Avenue, South Hagley Park

Wednesday, 20 June from 2.30pm to 6.30pm
St Johns Church Hall, Corner St Johns Street and Ferry Road, Woolston

Thursday, 21 June from 2.30pm to 6.30pm
Upper Riccarton Community Library, 71 Main South Road, Sockburn

Tuesday, 26 June from 4.30pm to 6.30pm
The Lyttelton Club, 23 Dublin Street, Lyttelton

Hearings, if necessary, will be held in July 2012, with a final decision likely to be released by September 2012.