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"Sex Shop Approved" - Lawrence Conway, Inner City Courier, 14th March 2006, pg 5
 "I’ve made a commitment that I will not support brothels or sex premises in commercial strips, I voted against the initial proposal and I will continue to do so," Cr Thanos said. (pictured) Cr Thanos said that Marrickville’s commercial strips were inappropriate "for that sort of activity" and they could be located in industrial areas. |
A King Street sex shop, which opened after an appeal to the Land and Environment Court, was last week granted permission form Marrickville Council to stay open for another two years.
Council officers recommended the premises be granted the extended permission as only one public objection had been raised over its use.
The permission was given on a trail basis due to the residential development in the surrounding area.
But deputy mayor Dimitrios Thanos, and his fellow Independent councillor Morris Hanna, voted against extending the shops planning permission.
"I’ve made a commitment that I will not support brothels or sex premises in commercial strips, I voted against the initial proposal and I will continue to do so," Cr Thanos said.
The business features an adult bookshop and adult entertainment lounge over two floors. The premises were initially approved for use as a prayer centre in 1998 and an application to convert the building to an adult centre was rejected by the council in 2003 and 2004.
A court order in August 2004 gave the owner permission to make alterations to the premises and use the first and second floors for an adult bookshop and adult entertainment centre.
The court development consent ran for 12 months and required the operations to inform the council of any complaints or anti-social behaviour resulting from its presence.
The latest application was determined under the council’s brothels and other sex services premises development control plan.
Cr Thanos said that Marrickville’s commercial strips were inappropriate "for that sort of activity" and they could be located in industrial areas.
"There is a large section of the public out there that does not want to see these kinds of businesses in commercial shopping strips. They should be restricted," he said.