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Amsterdam's plan to get rid of its red light district - by creating a five-storey mega-brothel 'erotic prison' filled with prostitutes and dumping it on another suburb
Amsterdam is planning to get rid of its notorious red light district with a controversial plan to build a five-storey 'mega brothel' in the suburbs.
Under proposals backed by the mayor, the city has touted the hub as a safer alternative for sex workers that also improves the image of the historic centre.
From this week, residents will be able to respond to the plans as the City of Amsterdam looks to push through its initiative after a 'long process of consultation'.
But residents and prostitutes have already come out against the plans, branding the concept an 'erotic prison' that will contribute to stigma and impact locals.
At a council meeting at the city hall, the majority of more than 40 speakers said they opposed the building of the site in the affluent Zuid district.
The plans would see a multi-million euro multiplex built with some 100 windows for sex workers, as well as entertainment and erotica available for guests.
Preliminary designs shared in 2020 show two towers in red and black with spiral ramps for visitors to climb up, passing live shows on the way.
According to the mayor, the space will ensure safer working conditions, reduce criminality and tackle human trafficking.
The innovative solution followed noise complaints over misbehaving tourists visiting the red light district in De Wallen, central Amsterdam.
A small faction of supporters have praised the initiative, including one male sex worker who said the site would create more space for minority sex workers.
He said those sex workers were currently either working out of their own homes or would go and visit clients, putting their safety at risk.
Another resident said the site would 'update' the city centre, which has seen the confluence of historic sites with sex tourism.
Amsterdam City Council has been considering relocating legal prostitution away from its historic red light district for years and in February 2023 announced three possible locations for the centre. They hoped to agree a location by the end of 2024.
The city eventually plans to shut down the centuries-old red light district, known for the neon-lit windows in which sex workers stand as they try to attract customers.
This will depend on agreement from those affected. It could still take years to build the site.
Realising the project still faces obstacles. Currently, the City is working on a 'project paper', inviting residents to read and respond between June 12 and July 23, 2025.
The view is to make a decision by the end of the year before writing an 'investment paper'.
By the end of 2026, they will make a decision as to whether or not construction of the centre can begin.
Huge protests have already amassed in response to the proposals.
In a meeting in the south of the city, hundreds of angry locals argued against the building of a 'mega brothel' on their doorstep, unexpectedly finding themselves on the side of sex workers bidding to stay in the city.
Residents are wary of moving sex work to residential areas outside the city, while sex workers feel the moves constitute a 'witch hunt', hurting sex workers' livelihoods without tackling crime itself.
The mayor said she was convinced that the erotic centre would not cause any danger and that sex workers would be more secure.
Businesses, too, have voiced concern about moving the district to a sole building on the outskirts of the city.
The European Medicines Agency HQ, based near the proposed sites, said it was 'concerned' about plans for the centre.
'The change of the location of the Red Light District is motivated by concerns of nuisance, drug-dealing, drunkenness and disorderly behaviour,' the EMA said in a statement.
'Locating the Erotic Centre in close proximity to EMA's building is likely to bring the same negative impacts to the adjacent area.'
'EMA is very concerned that this will create safety, security and nuisance issues' for its staff and for visiting delegates, who often have to leave late in the evening, the regulator said in a statement.
'The change of the location of the red light district is motivated by concerns of nuisance, drug-dealing, drunkenness and disorderly behaviour,' it added.
Two of the three proposed locations for the huge new brothel are near the EMA's high-tech headquarters in a business district on the southern outskirts of Amsterdam.
FILE PHOTO: The city eventually plans to shut down the centuries-old red light district, known for the neon-lit windows in which sex workers stand as they try to attract customers
Sex workers, too, have expressed their reservations.
Sabrina Sanchez, a sex worker, told AFP: 'We really don't agree with their solutions that they are offering, that they are imposing. They're not even negotiating with the sex workers' organisations.'
Michelle, an Amsterdam sex worker, said: 'If you're already inside that's fine, but you also have to go out with your earnings.'
She also argued that the 100 booths for sex workers in the erotic centre were far fewer than the 250 spots in the red-light district.
But, with its spaces dedicated to rest, art, culture and 'erotic' entertainment, the planned centre could be beneficial for some, so long as the aim is not to shut down the red-light district altogether, she added.
Huub Nelis, chairman of MBO College Zuid trade school, said concerns remained that the centre would bring new criminality to the area, too.
'Our students don't just walk around up to 5pm but also in the evening,' he said, as reported by Dutch News.
'There will be parents who will say, my child won't go there, and that's the only education [for their chosen career] in Amsterdam.
'For the erotic pleasure of the one, some children will not be able to get their education.'
One former sex worker argued against the closure of the red-light district, but noted that 'there are also trans and gay' sex workers for whom there is 'no place, and this centre offers them an option.'
An older study into experiences of the red light district concluded that the nature of the current spaces granted sex workers independence and standardisation in interaction and negotiation, which was largely shaped by tourist expectations.
The regulation of sex work in Amsterdam ensures industry workers, including but not limited to sex workers, are safer and reliably paid, generating steady tax revenues for the city.
Sex workers are also eligible for health insurance, unemployment and invalidity benefits, and can access STI checks.
Regulation has made human trafficking much more rare and access to health support has made the experience safer for clients.
