Traffic, noise complaints over Sydney Shakti Temple at Old Toongabbie

Blocked driveways, smoke pollution and noisy worshippers. Residents are locked in a battle with a temple in a Sydney suburb where leaders have conceded they are stumped for a solution to the ‘dilemma’.

Sydney Shakti Temple, Cultural and Educational Centre communications director Aneeta Menon and her father Mathu Menon, who is the temple’s secretary.

Cars blocking driveways, smoke pollution and noisy worshippers lingering on Old Toongabbie streets.

These are the frustrations residents say they endure constantly since the Sydney Shakti Temple, Cultural and Educational Centre expanded in 2021.

Desperate residents are calling on the temple leaders and worshippers, and Parramatta Council, to clamp down on illegal parking they say has soared over the past 12 months.

The temple has been open on the site of the former Old Toongabbie Uniting Church since 2011 and reopened in its current capacity in October 2021.

Since then the number of worshippers has grown exponentially, and the temple has a capacity for 150 but there are only four car spaces available on the temple site on the arterial Old Windsor Rd.

Frustrated residents say attendees are parking on quiet, tree-lined surrounding streets such as Chircan and Faulkner streets, Peter Pde and Oakes Rd.

Sydney Shakti Temple at Old Toongabbie has been subject to residents’ complaints.

Cars trying to leave and enter the temple on the heaving Old Windsor Rd. Picture: Facebook

They have taken to social media to post photos of cars blocking driveways and illegally parking on double-lined streets.
Resident Bianca Anderson is so fed up she is selling her Chircan Rd home of more than 50 years.

The property backs on to the temple which she says has drawn disrespectful attendees.

Bianca Anderson is selling her house, which backs on to the Sydney Shakti Temple at Old Toongabbie.

“Their treatment of our street and these neighbours, who have all been here a long time, is disgusting,’’ she said.

“There’s no common sense and there’s no regard for our neighbourhood.

“They argue with us about whether they can park over our driveways. People have little picnics on our nature strips.’’

Ms Anderson recently called firefighters to her home when ceremonial rituals created too much smoke which she said triggered her smoke alarms.

She claimed attendees put a tray of fire in a SUV.

Cars block a driveway at Chircan St Old Toongabbie. Picture: Facebook

She estimated there were three accidents this year outside the temple’s Old Windsor Rd entrance.

While the temple was zoned for religious use – because it was on the site of the former Uniting Church – residents say it would be more suitable in an industrial area.

Ms Anderson’s neighbour Amy Strandquist agreed traffic was the key problem.

“At least three nights a week it’s chockers with cars,’’ she said.

“They park on driveways, they park on corners. There’s a lot of burns and they do ceremonial burnings. It’s not incense – which smells lovely – it smells like charcoal.’’

Amy Strandquist and Ben Sice witness many cars clogging driveways at Chircan St.

Chircan Rd resident Aishwarya Anand, whose husband Anand Sankaran is a priest at the Hindu temple, said the temple was not prepared for so many attendees when it opened three years ago.

“The problem is we are not getting volunteers to help us out,’’ she said.

“It’s going beyond our limit. We are trying to get the council, we are trying to get some police and rangers to help us out.’’

Sydney Shakti Temple secretary Mathu Menon was also stumped for a solution to the traffic woes and admitted leaders could not control drivers who violated road rules.

“We have tried everything,’’ he said.

“We can’t stop people coming. It’s a public place of worship. That’s our dilemma. I don’t know the solution.’’

Chircan Rd resident Aishwarya Anand, whose husband Anand Sankaran is a priest at the Sydney Shakti Temple.

He said an event that went past permitted hours of 10pm was a “one off” and did not seek council permission but would do so when the event was held again next year.

His daughter and temple communications director Aneeta Menonconceded she understood the public’s frustration.

“Tensions are high,’’ she said.

She said there was inadequate infrastructure to cope with the explosion of attendees in recent years.

“The amount of people we would get on a special occasion would be the amount of people we get regularly and the infrastructure hasn’t changed to accommodate that.’’

She said complaints about blocked driveways were fielded “every single” time.

“There is not a week that goes by that somebody hasn’t blocked a driveway,’’ she said.

“It’s a constant source of frustration for us too.

There are only four car spots at the temple but hundreds of worshippers.

“I appreciate the community is getting frustrated … it is a nightmare. I imagine it is difficult to liver through and am committed to how we’re going to turn the corner.’’

She suggested a biannual community forum to air concerns with council representatives.

A Parramatta Council spokesman said it had received an average of four complaints a year about the temple since 2021, with most related to parking.

“Council has investigated each of the incidents,’’ he said.

The council did not respond to questions about the number of fines issued over illegal parking or other complaints because the data was not available