Wellington sex trade entrepreneurs Michael and John Chow have revived their plans for an Auckland super-brothel. They are planning to put up a storey "entertainment and hospitality centre", including a Penthouse Club, on the site of a historic Auckland hotel that was demolished last year.
It would be completed in early Mr Tait said the group had secured the New Zealand and Australian rights to run Penthouse Clubs β adult-themed private clubs with sex shows featuring magazine models. The new Auckland club would be the first in the Asia-Pacific region. The building is planned for the site of the year-old Palace Hotel, which was demolished in November on instructions from Auckland Council.
The council ordered its demolition after engineers found its walls were moving and cracking. Engineers found the owners failed to ensure the building was being safely renovated and that its basement walls were not adequately supported. Co-director John Chow said: "It was sad to see it torn down, but the new development will be better than ever and the entire facility will provide a level of entertainment and hospitality to an international standard brand new to Auckland.
It would include underground parking, a basement lounge bar, a ground floor restaurant and bar, a two-floor Penthouse Club, offices, a gentlemen's club and a roof garden bar and swimming pool. A council spokeswoman said no application had yet been lodged for a resource consent, and its demolition bill had not been paid.
Michael Chow said matters relating to the demolition, including the council bill, were being handled by the group's lawyers. He did not know how much the new building would cost, as quantity surveyors were yet to provide any estimates. The Chow Group runs a Wellington brothel and strip club and owns other property in the city. The Historic Places Trust is still considering whether to prosecute the group for failing to seek an archaeological authority before demolishing the former Settlement Restaurant in Wellington in January.
