Ballarat brothel plans revealed near former saleyards

The applicant, who has been redacted in documents currently before the City of Ballarat, has put forth a proposal to create a 307.45 square-metre brothel at 16 Stonepark Road, Delacombe.

This is just a stone's throw away from the 2026 Commonwealth Games athletes' village which is still yet to have constructions works begin.

It plans to allocate five rooms "for the purpose of sex work" with no "more than six rooms" used for such services unless under "special circumstances in guidelines issued by the minister administering the Planning and Environment Act 1987".

"At any one time during normal hours of operational, there could be up to a maximum of five sex workers on the premises," the application wrote.

A caretaker will also be stationed at all times and will be available to patrons while the brothel is in use. They are set to live on the premises in a three-bedroom house already on site.

In terms of car parks, the proposal has outlined it will not rely on on-street car parking. "A total of thirteen car spaces have been provided on the subject land," the application wrote.

This includes five for staff, one for a disabled customer, one for the duty manager with the remaining six for patrons.

Additionally, the property will also have a "designated and extra wide bay" for the "dual purpose of providing taxi/uber drop off or loading and unloading (waste collection, laundry pick up/ delivery and general deliveries)."

"It should be fairly accepted that not all clients attending the facility will individually arrive by car; it is reasonable to conclude that many clients will arrive by taxi and/or uber services, car sharing arrangement or may in fact be dropped off at the premises," the application wrote.

Security measures have also been mentioned in their plans to ensure the safety of staff and customers such as implementing a 2.1-metre-high steel security gate located at the driveway entrance; a security camera and intercom system as well as electronically activated locks.

"Once within the subject land, all clients/suppliers/visitors will be met at the front door of the foyer prior to their entry into the premises," the application wrote.

"The said door will be a full steel security door with electronic entry activation. It shall be the responsibility of the duty manager to further verify the state and intention of all persons who present at the front foyer door.

"Once verified by the duty manager as being deemed suitable, they will then be allowed access into the foyer area."

The Delacombe site sits in an area of Cultural Heritage Sensitivity. However, the applicant has said while it acknowledges the overlay, they believe their plans will "not" be "high impact activity".

Additionally, they further emphasised their argument writing the land was "used immediately prior to May 28 2007 as a brothel pursuant to Planning Permit No. 716- 96 that was issued on February 25 1997".

The brothel initially operated under the name Dalliance Encounters before closing in 1999 for two years and then reopening again under the name Breathless Encounters.

The site then closed again in 2006.

While there have been several reported illegal brothels in Ballarat, including a prohibition on a property on 309 Greenhalghs Road in August 2021, there have been few applications to run a licensed brothel.

IN THE NEWS:

In 2010, Brunswick business man Andrew Hewinson wanted to purchase Kryal Castle to establish a high-end brothel. However, he was unsuccessful in his bid for the 1970s theme park.

Owners Joyce and Keith Ryall in 2010 rejected the offer from the Melbourne businessman who had plans to turn the tourist destination into an adults-only playground.

Over the years, Delacombe, once an industrial dominated area, has since boomed to accommodate Ballarat's growing population.

There have been no requests to have a liquor licence for the premises as yet but there will be a smoking room adjacent to the proposed cleaner's room.

The trading hours proposed are Sunday to Thursday noon to 2am and Friday and Saturday noon to 5am.

In response to questions from The Courier regarding the legality of a suspected brothel in Main Road in 2018, the City of Ballarat issued a statement:

"The City of Ballarat Planning Scheme prohibits the use of land/buildings for the use of a brothel in the majority of zoned areas. A legal brothel is a section two use (where a planning permit can be issued)," a spokesperson said.

"Council would deal with the application on merit, with the application being referred to Victoria Police and other relevant agencies.

"Whilst it is not normal for planning permit applications for other land uses, the character of a proprietor in relation to a brothel use is a relevant consideration which Council would clearly take into consideration."

Licenced brothels must meet the regulatory requirements of a range of government agencies including the Department of Health and the Department of Immigration.

To lodge a submission response regarding the application click here.