Redfern Mosque members speak out over expansion plans by nearby brothel in fight over religious morals, ethics

Members of a Sydney mosque have hit out over expansion plans by a nearby brothel amid fears it will have a detrimental “moral and ethical” impact on the community.

Members of a Sydney mosque have hit out over expansion plans by a nearby brothel amid fears it will have a detrimental “moral and ethical” impact on the community.

The Redfern Mosque is on the warpath with Surry Hills massage parlour The Ginza Club over its proposal to more than double the capacity for clients attending the venue.

Plans for the Cleveland St brothel show two adjacent heritage terraces would be converted into sex service rooms, boosting its capacity from nine to 19 rooms.

Hank Evecek – treasurer of the Redfern Islamic Society and Redfern Mosque, located 45m from the brothel – believes the development is “morally and ethically” incompatible with the local streetscape.

“It’s a big concern because we already see a lot of men sitting in cars waiting for their time to get into the brothel and activity in backstreets with people coming and going,” he said.

The Redfern Mosque is located a short walk from the brothel.

“We have women and children attending the mosque that have to walk past the brothel and we don’t know what kind of people that are going in and out of that premises.

“We have young boys that might get curious about what’s happening in the building and that’s a concern as well.

The Ginza Club wants to increase its capacity from nine to 19 service rooms.

“It’s incompatible with our culture and morals.”

Mosque member Ergul Uybadin said the brothel expansion could have particular impacts during the holy month of Ramadan which sees religious activities held at the mosque during night-time periods.

“During Ramadan we finish our final prayer at 10pm and when we leave it’s the same time that people are coming in and out of the brothel,” she said.

“There’s probably a need for it in the community but why does it have to be so close to our building?”

The terraces that would be converted as part of the expansion plan.

Julie Bates, a planning representative for the brothel, defended the proposal and rejected suggestions the expansion would be detrimental to the local area.

Ms Bates – speaking at a meeting held by the City of Sydney Council to discuss the plans – said brothel staff and clients would be indistinguishable from other members of the general public because they “want to protect their privacy and safety.”

“From the exterior, the development looks like nothing other than a normal residence and there will be nothing there to identify it as a brothel,” she said.

“It will have no adverse effects on the area.”

Ms Bates further noted the NSW Government had decriminalised prostitution and the City of Sydney Council was now conducting fewer random compliance checks on the industry.

But not all local residents are convinced of the merits of the expansion with the council receiving multiple submissions from residents opposing the plans due to issues including parking congestion, noise and the brothel’s proximity to Inner Sydney High School.

Some residents claim activity in backstreets near the brothel is a regular occurrence.

One resident said the development risked turning Surry Hills into a “red light district” akin to Kings Cross.

Resident Cameron Sangster said neighbours were already enduring parking congestion and noise impacts from the brothel including the sound of washing machines running at the site for 14 hours a day.

Despite their objections, the City of Sydney Local Planning voted to support the development at a meeting last week after finding it was located in an area with a “broad mix of commercial uses”.

Ms Uybadin said members of the mosque had been left “disappointed” by the decision but have convened a meeting with nearby homeowners this week to discuss any further avenues they could take to challenge the approval.