Melton City Council: Ethiopian Orthodox community disappointed at church rejection

An Ethiopian community blocked from building a church in Melbourne’s outer west felt the council wanted their application to fail and believed “racism” might be at play.

Renders of the proposed appearance of the Ethiopian Christian Orthodox church rejected by the Melton council in October. Supplied: Melton City Council

An African congregation that hoped to build a church in Melbourne’s west was told to find a community that would accept them as residents said it would bring “undesirables”, but members have hit back with “racism” claims.

The Ethiopian community that planned to build a church closer to where its congregation lives believed Melton Council wanted its application to fail and said it was not given the opportunity to address legitimate concerns.

The council doubled-down on its decision to block the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church from being built in the rural suburb of Strathtulloh following several emotionally charged council meetings.

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church community outside the chambers ahead of the council’s decision.

Committee member Sendel Abraha said the council made them feel like they do not belong in their own community.

“My family feel unwelcome and discriminated against, why can we not build a place of worship like everyone else,” Ms Abraha said.

“For the council member to say we are concerned about the stress it has caused the residents is nothing short of racism, exclusion, and utter disrespect.”

On Monday night, councillor Bob Turner said he found inconsistencies in the application and was concerned the number of attendees would soon surpass the 50 proposed.

“I’ve got nothing against a place of worship, everyone is entitled to a place of worship, but you need to find a community that is going to accept you and a building that suits you, this is going to be too small for you guys,” Mr Turner said.

“They (the applicant) needed to sit down (with council officers) and have a proper discussion but I don’t believe that happened until very late in the piece … if they were really serious they should have done it another way.”

At the previous meeting, councillor Steve Abboushi said places of worship were being opposed in residential zones, industrial zones and now in “open spaces” too.

“We’ve already allowed other groups in the green wedge zone, there is a mosque in Mt Cottrell, I for one won’t make difference and won’t stand for difference in this area,” Mr Abboushi said.

Renders of the proposed building included three domes and would accommodate about 50 visitors

Most community objections centred around traffic, noise and the “aesthetic” of the church — which included three domes — while others claimed it was not wanted.

“This will bring far too much traffic and undesirables to a safe haven for our families … we settled in this beautiful estate to enjoy our peace and quiet, not to have our world turned upside down by any religious buildings,” one objector said.

“This building is visually intrusive and will dominate the landscape. The facade of sandstone … is not consistent and does not reflect the rural character of the area, neither do the proposed domes,” another said.

Church committee member Goytom Yabio said the congregation was “profoundly disappointed” and said its requests for genuine feedback from the council were refused during the application.

Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church committee member Goytom Yabio

“The council’s apparent inclination towards rejecting the application meant that we were denied the opportunity for collaborative problem solving, it seemed they were more focused on rejecting the proposal rather than engaging,” Mr Yabio said.

“It appears to have taken a political dimension with external influences … there is a suspicion that a developer may be involved in mobilising objectors, adding another layer to the complexity of the situation.”

Mr Yabio said most of the congregation lived in the Melton region and had to travel to a hired venue in Tottenham to hold services.

Former mayor Lara Carli — who had the casting vote when the application was rejected at the October meeting — said it was “unfair” for the Strathtulloh community and the applicant to bring the matter back to council for a third time.

Lara Carli’s final meeting as Melton City Council mayor was last month.

“It has already created angst in the community and therefore I am not supporting a rescission motion … it’s a waste of time, a decision was already made,” Ms Carli said.

A council spokesman said it assessed the application against the Melton Planning scheme in accordance with statutory obligations.

“Last night council supported officer’s recommendation to refuse a planning permit being granted,” the spokesman said.  Councillors said they received dozens of emails as well as a petition with 278 signatures opposing the church.

When the application was tabled earlier this year it had 194 submissions in support and 79 objectors.