Glenhaven Mosque: Land and Environment Court approve plans

The controversial approval of a mosque in Sydney’s northwest has been slammed by the mayor, who labelled the state government as “out of touch”.

A controversial proposal to build a mosque in Sydney’s northwest has been given the green light after a Land and Environment Court appeal, almost four years since the original plans were lodged.

Now, The Hills Shire mayor Dr Peter Gangemi has lashed out at the court’s ruling and labelled the decision as “incredibly disappointing” while calling on the state’s Planning Minister “to cut the bureaucracy”.

The 250-person place of worship, proposed by The Hills District Muslim Society (‘Hills AWQAF Pty Ltd’), was granted development consent for for 1 Larapinta Place, Glenhaven on Monday.

Dr Gangemi said it was the wrong decision for the community, referencing noise and traffic concerns.

“The state government talks about putting locals first and including them in the decision making process, but this outcome just proves how out of touch they are with local community issues,” Mayor Gangemi said.

Mayor Gangemi has lashed out at the court’s ruling.

The proposed mosque was first refused by the Sydney Central Planning Panel on 28 August 2019 following a public meeting attended by about 500 people.

The proposal was then taken to the Land and Environment Court in September 2021.

Dr Gangemi said his issue was with the mosque’s location — not the fact it is a place of worship.

“This proposal fails to adequately deal with … the noise, traffic and parking this type of development will generate,” he said.

“It also has little regard to the rural landscape and will unacceptably impact on the natural environment, as well as the neighbouring properties located within the quiet cul-de-sac.”

A screengrab promoting the development of the Masjid.

But Commissioner Joanne Gray upheld the appeal after minor changes were made to the carparking arrangements and noise controls.

“I found that the proposed development ‘is acceptable having regard to the absence of adverse impacts, the objectives of the zone and the character of the area’,” the commissioner said in response to her original findings.

“I found that ‘any change in character brought about by the proposed development is acceptable in the context of the RU6 Transition zone in which the site is located’.

“I also found that the car parking arrangements for the proposed development are satisfactory and that the intersection of Larapinta Pl will continue to operate satisfactorily.”