By Ann Marie Angebrandt
A MUSLIM group forced to scuttle plans for a mosque and community centre in Altona Meadows say the rejected proposal is a loss for Hobsons Bay.
“We had a noble aim that this centre would be used to build bridges through multi-faith gatherings, sports activities and cultural events,” said Mustapha Omari, Victorian president of the Australian Islamic Mission (AIM).
“It’s very disappointing we cannot do that now.”
The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) recently upheld a Hobsons Bay City Council decision that assessed the proposal as too big for its Central Avenue site.
Mr Omari said AIM would now discuss what could be done with its vacant land, adjacent to Lush and Tomkin Courts.
“We are now trying to see what useful and good options we can come up with for the wellbeing of the Muslim and broader communities, but we’re not sure what we can do to satisfy everyone.”
Both the council and VCAT focused on the extra traffic and noise that would be generated from the centre’s use as a mosque, but its main role was meant to be as a community centre for smaller meetings, said Mr Omari.
“There was a smaller area to be used for prayers but that was always a secondary role.”
Under city planning regulations, the centre’s proposed 24 car parks were judged inadequate for the up to 80 worshippers expected for Friday prayers.
Tony Briffa, co-convenor of the resident action group Hobsons Bay Community First, said the rejected appeal was “a great win for the community and for common sense.”
“We supported a place of worship in our local area, particularly a mosque,” he said, pointing out that the land sits between Anglican and Uniting churches.
“It certainly wasn’t anything against any race or religion, but against the magnitude of the development. “
Mr Omari said AIM had hired a traffic management consultancy firm to argue to VCAT that their proposal would not inconvenience neighbours or place additional stress on Central Avenue parking.
Hobsons Bay mayor Leigh Hardinge said the proposal had been through due process.
“It was purely and simply a planning issue. For the size of the proposal and the possible number of people, it didn’t match up to the planning requirements,” he said.
