Workers spark brothel worries

Community leaders are concerned the brothels bylaw will attract a number of rebuild workers into the Western suburbs and cause trouble.

The new bylaw allows brothels to operate in designated business zone areas in the city centre and suburbs including Riccarton, Upper Riccarton, Sockburn, Hornby, Islington, Wigram and Hornby South.

The Christchurch City Council Brothels (Location and Commercial Sexual Services Signage) Bylaw 2012 was given the go-ahead on December 6.

Brothels are not allowed to operate on the same boundary as a school or any other important open space in the city centre.

But Riccarton-Wigram Community Board chairman Mike Mora said he was concerned there will be a "red light strip'' and brothels will be "pepper potted'' throughout the Western suburbs.

"Rebuild workers are the one's who will require the services of suburban brothels - not residents. More rebuild workers coming into our suburbs just means more trouble.

"The board are against brothels operating in the suburbs. We would've preferred to have had a centralised red light zone in the city instead of brothels being allowed to operate in the suburbs.

"I don't see why they need to be dispersed into the suburbs. There's plenty of room for them in the city centre. Traditionally that's where they have always been. I don't see why they can't stay there,'' he said.

Since 2005, there have been no controls in Christchurch on where commercial brothels can operate, but about 13 brothels, that were operating in the city centre, were damaged in the earthquakes, which prompted the city council to review the bylaw to make sure they could control where brothels were relocated.

The object of the bylaw was to restrict the location of brothels other than small owner-operated brothels to certain parts of the district, control signage that advertises commercial sexual services and regulating the display of signs in other parts of the district.

Mr Mora said the board submitted a deputation to The Brothels Bylaw Hearing Panel - who only wanted brothels to operate in the city centre - expressing concerns about sprawl and the impact they would have on church groups, schools and community groups in the area.

"We also suggested a one kilometre radius around churches, schools and community groups to act as a buffer zone. No church group is going to want to be operating out of an area that is surrounded by brothels.

"I'm concerned about the sprawl. I know the activity is legal and we can't do much about it. Ideally, they shouldn't be put into the suburbs at all.

"It is not a good look and not a good feeling to know a brothel will be operating just up the road or near someone's business,'' Mr Mora said.

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