Chatswood: Victoria’s Secret brothel on Victoria Ave plans expansion

A brothel is planning to expand its operations in a north shore suburb amid a legal dispute with council planners over building works at the site.

The business would be expanded under the proposal.

A north shore brothel is set to expand its operations amid a legal dispute with Willoughby Council over alleged unauthorised building works at the site.

Victoria’s Secret has proposed to increase the size of its business from three to seven work rooms as part of a development application lodged to Willoughby Council for its site at Victoria Ave in Chatswood.

A north shore brothel is set to expand its operations. Picture: Stock/Generic image

The proposal would maintain the existing 10am to 6am trading hours and would include on-site carparking for three cars, a reception area, bathrooms and storage racks for bicycles.

Plans stated the expansion would also include accessible facilities and a service room designed to “meet the legitimate and often neglected needs of people with a disability requiring equitable access and services.”

The business would have eight staff under the proposal.

A plan of management shows the expansion would have eight on-site staff and protocols to minimise any risk of COVID-19 including adequate supplies of masks, disposable gloves, and hand sanitiser stations distributed throughout the premises

The application comes almost 12 months after Willoughby Council issued a ‘notice of intention to give an order’ on the business relating to alleged unauthorised building works.

A council spokeswoman said alternations to the “interior of the premises have changed the layout of the approved brothel and increased the number of working rooms”.

Planning documents stated the business has been operating with the alterations “without incident and complaint” and or impacts on traffic and parking due to the site’s proximity to public transport and bus routes.

A conciliation conference between site owner and the council is due to be held in the Land and Environment Court to resolve the matter on December 2.

A site plan of the development.

The application stated the expansion would not have adverse impacts on the area as the business was separated from homes and was permissible in the B2 zoning zone of the site.

The plans noted the business was within 100m of another sex services – a breach of planning regulations – but argued the two facilities “have coexisted in the neighbourhood for 19 years without adverse amenity impacts”.

“The existing approved sex services premises has operated at the subject site … without incident or complaint in respect to neighbourhood amenity or from a work health and safety perspective,” the plans stated.

“The proposed development will provide for unimpeded access to the services and facilities (and) contribute to the social and economic vitality of the area.”

The application has included letters of support from businesses including Chatswood Sewing and former councillor Ned Oreb who owns a shop top housing complex near the site.

Mr Oreb, who stated he was “one of the councillors that help(ed) approve the DA” in 1996/97, said he had “not had difficulties finding tenants to rent” the shop-top housing since the approval.

The North Shore Times has contacted the applicant of the development application for comment but did not receive a response at the time of publication.

The proposal is currently under assessment by the council.