By Tom Cowie
On its website, the Pineapples Lifestyle Bar promises a club designed to “elevate hedonistic events” to a never-before-seen level of “sophistication, arousal and titillation”.
But those who live and work near the proposed inner-city venue, promoted as “Melbourne’s premier adult playground”, are worried that the main service it offers – a place for people to meet and have sex – will formalise their area as the city’s red-light district.
Tony Baenziger and Sue Coles occupy an office near the proposed Pineapples Lifestyle Bar.Credit: Wayne Taylor
The new swingers’ club in South Melbourne was approved by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal this month after objectors unsuccessfully appealed a decision by the City of Port Phillip to grant a planning permit.
In the coming months, the red-brick, double-storey building at 427 City Road will be transformed into a sex-on-premises venue that will have a 200-person capacity and operate on a ticketed basis.
Architect Tony Beanziger, who occupies a building two doors down, said locals were concerned that the club would have a detrimental impact on the safety and amenity of the area.
As part of its permit conditions, the venue has permission to operate until 2am, seven days a week. However, the applicant told VCAT that those trading hours would likely be limited to three nights a week.
“We hope they’re going to be good neighbours, as they say they want to be. I’m not confident that that’s going to be the case,” Beanziger said.
“I think that the way this is being couched on their website and all their Facebook and so forth, is that this is going to be quite a wild place.”
Among the objections to the permit were that it would create unreasonable noise, that there was the risk of anti-social behaviour and that there was no on-site parking.
The South Melbourne building subject to the planning application.Credit: Wayne Taylor
Angus Wallace lives just 50 metres from the venue and said he was concerned about the safety impacts for residents, particularly those with children.
He felt the approval of the venue didn’t make sense with the increase in residential living over recent years in inner-city suburbs like South Melbourne.
“I don’t think there are many parents who would want their children’s bedroom that close to an establishment like that,” he said.
“We have absolutely no objection to people doing whatever they want in their life, as long as it’s kept to themselves, I don’t care. But why position it so close to residential properties?”
Pineapples Lifestyle Bar’s logo.
With other massage parlours already operating in the area, Wallace said he was worried that adding another venue to the mix would formalise it as the “red-light district of Melbourne”.
Pineapples Lifestyle Bar owner Emanuel Cachia said that the permit conditions approved by VCAT would mean there would be no impact on amenity for residents or businesses.
“We are pleased VCAT was able to see past the appellant’s blatant attempt to smear our name and cause conflict in the local area by muddying the waters on our intended use of the property,” Cachia said.
He said the venue would be “welcoming, classy and discreet” with an education focus designed to promote the importance of diversity, equality and inclusion.
Guests would be entertained via “arousing decor, exciting theme nights and mesmerising cabaret shows”, he said.
Port Phillip mayor Louise Crawford said VCAT’s decision, with only minimal amendments, showed the application was an acceptable outcome under the council’s planning controls.
The previous council, which included Crawford, voted by five votes to three to approve the application at a meeting in June 2024.
The venue sits in a part of South Melbourne bound by City Road, Ferrars and York streets, known as “the triangle” or “wedge” which is zoned industrial.
Despite proposals to change it to commercial, council officers considered the venue an appropriate use for that area.
“It’s not about assessing the morality of the use,” Crawford said.
“This type of use is permissible and lawful and exists in various places throughout Melbourne.”
Crawford acknowledged some residents weren’t happy with the outcome but said strict conditions regulated the management of the premises and behaviour of patrons.
She said council would monitor the compliance of conditions and investigate any possible breaches raised by the community.
“The VCAT decision confirms … that there are no unreasonable amenity impacts arising from the proposed use that would warrant refusing the proposal,” she said.
The proposal had appropriate measures to ensure patrons leave the venue in a managed way and included robust conditions managing patron behaviour, she said.
Former Port Phillip councillor Marcus Pearl, who voted against the proposal in 2024, said the venue was not right for South Melbourne.
“Council had the opportunity to stand up for the character of that area and the type of future community we’re trying to build in that area,” he said.
“Are there other areas for it? Maybe, but this is not the right location.”
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