Sex in the city - Mt Vic residents see red

I wonder whether the previous posters are home between 11am and 3pm, when most of the "business" is done at the brothel. I have experienced the negative effects of illegally parked cars, and men sitting in their cars or standing on the footpath smoking before or after their appointments. I don't believe there should be more businesses allowed up here in our residential neighbourhood - why would I approve of a brothel with 6 workers?

Another reason so many of the neighbours are upset: council's complete disregard for the law in granting the resource consent. They were supposed to consider section 15 of the Prostitution Reform Act, which states the criteria for whether a large brothel is appropriate for a residential area. We say if they had followed the law, it would never have been allowed.

If the article was meant to spark outrage, it certainly has succeeded in one area:

Since when can an innocent, law abiding member of the public have their face plastered on the front page on the newspaper, simply because of the opinions of a handful (at best) of moral extremists?

The voices behind this article are surely counting that nobody would be seen defending a brothel, and abuse this to the end of a sensationalist headline. However, when the press becomes this antagonistic, any right-thinking person would see where the real moral outrage lies.

The argument that was really highlighted on TV (ie.,the presence of a brothel in an area of families where kindergarten children pass by) defies all logic. Nothing immoral can be seen from the street! The kids would see more immorality (if that's how you view it), and more men on the street on TV. Personally, despite the fact that I'm a mother and old enough to be a grandmother, I'd rather have a brothel than a school next door to me, as far as noise goes. Brougham Street has long been a noisy street and I don't think the consumers of a small business would make that much difference. Ah well, a sensational headline always comes at the expense of someone.

If smoking outdoors, poor parking and sleeping in one's car constitute a modern day Sodom and Gommorah, then call me a pillar of salt.

The petty complaints levelled against the establishment in question belie far more pressing and complex problems in the complainers themselves. If the existence of a brothel that "operated under the radar" and can only now be accused of disruption due to car horns, men smoking outside and illegal parking (read: circumstantial) can truly make one's "life a misery", then I'm forced to wonder what on earth wouldn't. That this ashamedly medieval opinion-holder is touted as the voice of the suburb is more than just a little embarrasing.

To print the photograph of this lady, while perhaps within the legal rights of the paper, was a shameful act. That the final quarter of the article is dedicated to legal opinions in an attempt to justify it tends to suggest that you knew this already.

Oral submissions hahahahaha. Council spokesman Richard MacLean is a genius.

The residents in this article are using the brothel and its business as a scapegoat for their many complaints about the disturbances to their "family feel neighbourhood". The truth is, the car horns are most likely caused by boy racers driving up from Kent Tce - a popular boy-racer road,, and the "strange" men - well that could be any male resident of Pirie St! Most of us that live on Pirie Street are young people in flats. Especially seeing as these complaints were noted to occur at night - whereas according to complaining residents in the article, the brothels busiest hours were during the day!

In regards to the parking - Pirie St has always had a problem with parking - which is why they are so vigilant with ticketing around this area. Coincidentally the one place I usually manage to find a coupon park is right outside the entrance to the brothel. Residents should get residents parking permits to avoid being stuck for a park, as brothel customers who park in residents parking no doubt get a ticket ??? from personal parking experience I know it???s unavoidable in this area without a permit. And let's face it brothel clients using the coupon parks will definitely not outlast the 2 hour limit during their stay!

Stop using the brothel and its professional employees as a scapegoat! The gradation of the footpath combined with heavy rainfall causes much larger problems for the residents of Pirie Street!

A KFC, a bunch of what appears to be warehousing, a restuarant, a car yeard, numerous flats that seem to have parties 24 hours a day, seven days a week, noisy trolley buses and piles of school children - is there any wonder that these guys are the only people who could hear this 'public nuisance'

This sort of article, and the complainants quoted within, amount to nothing more than the harrasment of a legitimate business. One which obviously has complied with and met the approval of the WCC. The Prositution reform act was a deliberate move to end mainstream society's dehumanising treatment of sex workers. To publish this sort of intimidatory and speculative story (on the front page!) based on one or two complainants' prudish concerns (with no legal or criminal basis) is unethical and serves to dehumanise these people even further.

Wow. What a piece of investigative journalism. This is what happens when you interview people from only one side of the argument - Fox News anyone?

I recently moved out of a flat a few doors down from the brothel on Pirie st. We never had any problems with noise, or people taking carparks (have these people considered getting a residents permit like everyone else?). In fact we never even had any idea the brothel was there until busy-bodies like the ones in your article began kicking up a stink.

Prostitution is legal now and I can't imagine it is the most pleasant job in the world. Why can't we just leave them alone?

I am a Pirie Street resident, same as the first poster, and I have to say I had the same feeling about the article that they did: Are we talking about the same street? The first I knew about the brothel was when we got a 'panic flyer' about it in the mail from one of these 'Concerned Residents' - with the address printed and a helpful picture of the house so as any teenagers who wanted to find the place would have no trouble. Good job Dominion Post - you've just upped the place's guys trade and given another single issue nutter a voice!