Plan B Forum

THE developer planning Australia's largest brothel has been granted the right to proceed, but a court has curbed its ambitions by imposing a limit of 1.5 patrons to every sex worker.

Stiletto in Camperdown wanted permission for a $12 million expansion accommodating up to 160 people at its Parramatta Road business at any one time, including almost three patrons for each of its 40 sex workers.

The NSW Land and Environment Court has overturned the City of Sydney's refusal of the development application, but agreed this week with the council's submission to limit the maximum number of patrons on the site to 60.
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''The council contends … the number of patrons is proportionate to the number of sex workers and not the number of rooms, as a patron is serviced by the sex worker and this determines how many patrons can be serviced, rather than the number of rooms,'' the judgment read.

Commissioner Susan O'Neill accepted the council's figure of 1.5 patrons to sex workers allowed for ''an overlap of time between patrons arriving and others leaving'' the 24-hour business.

''The floor manager should be responsible for ensuring that the number of persons in the premises does not exceed this maximum amount,'' the judgment read.

The proposal for Stiletto, owned by Eddie Hayson, had sought to double its size to 40 working rooms and 21 waiting rooms by building a three-storey extension on an adjoining Parramatta Road block.

Sydney's councillors had unanimously rejected the application last year, citing concerns about its effect on the local area and size of the development. Liberal Shayne Mallard had dubbed it the ''Westfield of brothels''.