Hundreds of residents objecting to the Glenhaven Mosque proposal gathered alongside supporters of the Hills District Muslim Society at a Sydney joint regional planning panel determination on Thursday night.

The meeting, which resulted in standing room only at Castle Hill RSL Club, saw the planning panel hand down a decision to defer the development application for 1 Larapinta Place, Glenhaven.

Sydney Central City Panel chair Mary-Lynne Taylor handed down the decision after a monumental series of 50 addresses from objectors and supporters of the application, where panel members raised concerns around traffic, waste water, the restriction of worshippers and the length of time prayers would take place.

“This application is presently deficient in its report, but the panel is sympathetic of the applicants request for a deferral,” Ms Taylor said. “The applicant is to fund an independent traffic assessment.

“The need to reduce building site may be the result.”

Panel member Mark Colbert called for the refusal of the development application.

The issues raised in the council assessment report are fatal to the achievement of the proposal and justify the refusal of the proposal.”

Last week, the Times revealed the amended proposal for a 250 person mosque saw more than 1000 objections, following its submission to the Hills Shire Council in April this year.

The Hills Shire Council revealed 17 reasons why the development should be rejected, which supported residents’ concerns around issues raised in regards to the proposal, including the fact that the development did not fit the nature of the suburb, should be proposed for a business or industrial precinct, increased the level of noise in the suburb, provided a lack of parking and would result in increased traffic congestion.

Hills Shire Mayor Michelle Byrne address the panel and hundreds of resident, declaring “The Hills was facing unprecedented population growth, and urban sprawl that could ruin Glenhaven”.

“The Hills Shire Council is not opposed to places of public worship, but has concerns around the size and scale,” Cr Byrne said. “Glenhaven is not the right site for this development, this zone seeks to protect rural land which is environmentally sensitive.

“Developers, including this one, need to respect the rural character of our area.”

While Hills Shire Council general manager Michael Edgar said there is currently a proposal to prohibit places of public worship in transition zones, such as the one in Glenhaven.

“This council has been acting in providing the needs of a growing Sydney for decades,” he said. “There is enough landzone that could carry a place of public worship.

“I feel the investment is in the wrong site, because the scale will not meet the applicants needs in the future. I would consider putting the investment to a more suitable location.”

Councillor Brooke Collins called for the applicant to reconsider the location of the proposal, seeking a more cohesive approach to “providing places of public worship in appropriate locations across the Hills”.

“I ask the applicant to reconsider their location because, as we all know, it’s not appropriate for many reasons,” Cr Collins said.

“I ask you to work with me, my fellow councillors and the council officers to find an alternate location that will allow the development to be accepted, but more importantly give you the opportunity to grow as the population grows.”

While councillor Robyn Preston said the area was semirural and the application would change the nature of the rural area.

“As an ordinary girl from Glenhaven, I consider what is before us, and it does not pass the pub test,” she said.

Hills Shire Council planning spokesman Cameron MacKenzie said the department sought a meeting with “a reluctant” Hills District Muslim Society who told council they would use the existing property for a maximum of 40 people.

Mr MacKenzie said council was then provided with a development application for a place of public worship for 400 people, resulting in a letter addressing concern “that remain unanswered today”.

“The developers have failed to answer questions regarding the major concerns around the size and scale of the development,” he said.

“The applicant declined to attend a conciliation conference that would have given them the opportunity to addressed concerns from residents and council.”

Friends of Glenhaven representative Mitchell Blue said one of the major concerns behind the development was adequate infrastructure, traffic and congestion.

“We support the decision of the Hills Shire Council,” he said.

“Whatever you are told, it must be considered in conjunction with the video by the applicant, explaining the establishment of a growing footprint.

“250 people and 50 cars would create a major risk to local residents, this would completely destroy the amenity of Glenhaven.”

Mr Blue also raised the fact that there were several mosques in proximity, including Annangrove and Marsden Park, that could be used.

Larapinta Place resident, Rick Allison, said the safety of residents within the vicinity of the development would be in jeopardy, if the proposal was approved.

“I ask the panel how emergency services would be able to access the homes of residential properties in Larapinta Place during Friday prayer,” he said.

“Glenhaven Rd and Larapinta Place cannot handle increased development such as this.”

While a local development consultant and Glenhaven resident said he was “flabbergasted” that the applicant would seek to build a place of worship in Glenhaven.

“It is clear that the proposed development does not comply with zoning,” he said.

“The development will set a negative precedent in a community that should be protected.”

HDMS Vice President Karim Ibrahim said the society was “comprised of local Muslim residents and was established by a group of volunteers just like the Friends of Glenhaven”.

“Last year after several years of searching for a suitable property, we finally purchased the land in Glenhaven,” Mr Ibrahim said.

“There is a significant unmet need of a permanent local place of worship for the Muslim community.

“The Hills Shire Council has proceeded to apply for a change of zoning and many of the issues that were raised by the council could have been raised with us, but they were not.”

Mr Ibrahim said there were currently 800 to 1000 members of the Hills District Muslim Society.

A representative of the applicant, Stuart Harding, called for the panel to defer the meeting to address concerns raised by The Hills Shire Council.

“Throughout the application process we have tried to engage with the council,” Mr Harding said.

“We feel there are a number of things we could fine tune, if given the opportunity, because there are many things within the report that have been raised by council as reasons why the development should not go ahead.”

Mr Harding said setbacks, landscaping and wastewater issues were all raised as issues that could be “easily resolved”.

“The voices of supporters identifies the need for a permanent place of worship for these people,” he said. “This is a facility that would service the needs of the religious community.”

Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah spoke in support of the development application, arguing the panel determination “was not a safe space”, after declaring residents had made the proposal about race and religion.

“This mosque is part of the character of the area, because we are residents of this area,” she said. “I ask those to oppose this mosque, are we only accepted if we remain invisible.

“Can we not as a community transcend the ugly politics that has occurred in other parts of the country.”

While Blacktown Hospital Doctor and Hills resident, Usman Astrad, said the love for the Hills was why the society hoped to invest in the Glenhaven region.

“For Muslims the sense of home surrounds around the mosque,” he said.

“We have had no set place to pray, we are asking for a home for those who are already part of the Hills.

“As someone who grew up in Kellyville, I have seen the suburb grow, there has been no catastrophic increase in traffic or change of lifestyle as the region continues to grow.”

COUNCIL’S REASONS FOR REFUSAL:

• The development is not in keeping with the low scale rural-residential nature of the area, and the 10 metre structure will have an adverse impact on the streetscape.
• A place of worship of this size is better suited to an area zoned business or industrial, similar to where Hillsong Church is.
• The nature of the development will result in large amounts of worshippers congregating for significant number of consecutive days which will have adverse impacts on the local amenity.
• The proposal will result in adverse noise impacts.
• The site does not have access to sewer.
• The parking provided is inadequate for the type of development.
• Cars will park along Glenhaven Rd and Larapinta Pl, which will be dangerous.
• Given the location it is unlikely that the worshippers will use public transport, therefore will need to rely on private transport.