Amsterdam mayor Eberhard van der Laan has identified a ‘large organisation’ as a potential owner of red light district buildings which the city has earmarked for a council-backed brothel.

The mayor told the city council on Thursday that one ‘party’ had been found to take over the properties. However, the deal has not yet been finalised, the Parool reports. Nor has the council given its approval to the project, which is still the subject of a ‘feasibility study’.

In February, Van der Laan said he wanted to facilitate the establishment of a brothel run by prostitutes themselves.This would enable to them to avoid pimps and human traffickers, the mayor said.

The five properties, which would offer rooms to 45 to 50 prostitutes, are currently owned by the city council’s property arm Stadsgoed NV.

It bought the buildings from red light district lynchpin Charles Geerts in 2007 for a reported €25m after refusing to grant him a licence to operate brothels.