Ruled unfair on sex shop

THREE Ulverstone councillors who opposed the opening of an adult shop have been found to have acted unfairly.

FOCUS: The centre of Ulverstone.

THREE Ulverstone councillors who opposed the opening of an adult shop have been found to have acted unfairly.

The Local Government Code of Conduct Panel has upheld complaints against Central Coast councillors John Bloomfield, Tony van Rooyen and Gerry Howard, ruling they did not show fairness when dealing with the public in relation to the establishment of the business in the main street.

Cr Bloomfield and Cr van Rooyen also were found in breach of section seven of the code under which a councillor is obliged to bring an impartial and unprejudiced mind to all matters decided upon in the course of council duties.

In evidence, Cr van Rooyen said he had spoken against the shop’s approval because he believed most people in Ulverstone did not want an adult shop in the main street and its establishment would negatively affect nearby businesses.

The conduct panel made its determination on October 21 and a report was tabled at Monday night’s Central Coast Council meeting.

Ooh La La for Adultes opened last month after a six-month fight that almost made owner Marcia Holsworthy quit her dream of owning a business. Complaints were lodged against four councillors, who voted against the proposal because there were not enough parking spaces on the site.

Both the adjoining shop and the previous tenant had been granted permits with a variation to the usual car parking requirements. Some of the submissions against the shop came from churches.

Ulverstone Uniting Church members said the shop might encourage earlier sexualisation of young children while the Church of Christ feared the “admission of businesses of this nature will help to destroy our family-friendly atmosphere”.

The rejection of the Ms Holdsworthy’s planning permit was later overturned by the Resource Management and Planning Appeal Tribunal.

The three councillors in breach of section eight are now required to attend a training course, while Cr Bloomfield and Cr van Rooyen, who breached section seven of the code, will also be issued reprimands.

The Central Coast Council will need to pay the costs associated with the investigation.

Originally published as Ruled unfair on sex shop