The decision to approve the Port Melbourne brothel has gained the backing of some local residents and businesses. But others have said it will put their employees'safety at risk,especially at night,and that restrictions on the amount of advertising displayed on the brothel's exterior do little to allay their fears.
They are also concerned that granting the permit will encourage other applications,transforming the community for the worse just when rising property prices are increasing residential development in the vicinity.
Zak Athanasiadis,the owner of Zax Amusements - an arcade-game wholesale supplier near the proposed Ingles Street development - welcomed the brothel approval,saying it would increase local traffic and could reduce crime.
He said since the closure of Toyota's manufacturing plant in 2006 the crime rate had increased and having a business that traded past normal working hours might reverse the trend.
''More late-night trading businesses in this area would deter potential vandals and criminals,''he said.
VCAT recently upheld the City of Port Phillip's decision to let proprietor Michelle Siu Pik Chan convert the former warehouse into a whorehouse.
The tribunal maintained that it would be far enough from schools,hospitals,places of worship and homes to operate without disturbing the community.