Strip club drops appeal

By Ed Merrison
AFTER a long and impassioned fight, the Boronia community appears to be the last man standing after the applicant for a proposed strip club finally threw in the towel on its appeal.
Knox City Council was informed on Friday, 11 August that applicant PKS Pty Ltd was withdrawing its Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) appeal against the council’s April decision to refuse a planning application for an adult entertainment venue at 1/91A Boronia Road.
Baird Ward councillor Jim Penna said it was not a done deal yet.
“But we are 98 per cent there – which is wonderful news for council and the community,” he said.
“The community was strongly opposed to the adult entertainment venue and council responsibly advocated this position on its behalf.”
The appeal had been scheduled for a five-day VCAT hearing starting Monday, 9 October, and the council had already begun planning an information night for objectors from the local community.
Gary Wissenden of planning consultancy Hansen Partnerships, which was handling the application on behalf of PKS Pty Ltd, made no comment other than to confirm the group had applied to VCAT to withdraw the appeal and was informing objecting parties in accordance with VCAT regulations.
Gai Williams, spokeswoman for local traders’ group Boronia Business Link, said she was absolutely delighted with the outcome, which she described as a great win for people power.
“We were pretty organised on this one and very dedicated, and I think in the end there were just so many objections it maybe put them off,” she said.
“To me, we live in a democratic country and the community, the businesses and the council didn’t want it and in the end it was nice to get what we wanted.”
The council received more than 340 submissions opposing the initial application for the adult entertainment venue.
Councillors voted unanimously against the application on the basis that associated safety risks could not be adequately managed, that the proposed use would not contribute to community safety and it would be inappropriate within the Boronia activity centre.
In opposing the application and seeking to discourage similar cases in the future, the council wrote to Premier Steve Bracks, Planning Minister Rob Hulls and local MPs requesting that the State Government ban adult entertainment venues and adult sex bookshops within 500 metres of shopping precincts.
Cr Penna said the council would continue to work with the State Government to try to achieve this aim.