Narre Warren North and Doveton mosques given green light despite hundreds of objections
Furious opponents of controversial mosques in Narre Warren North and Doveton aren’t backing down after Casey councillors approved them amid a heavy police presence. Their fight has only just begun.
South East
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Furious neighbours have vowed to take the fight against controversial plans for two mosques in Casey to the state planning tribunal.
Terry Ryan, who has lived in the Narre Warren North area for 30 years, said dozens of neighbours met last night to plan their VCAT fight.
“We’re now in the process of seeking legal advice and I’m speaking to several people today about our case,” Mr Ryan said.
Mr Ryan said neighbours were still “disgusted” the council had failed to listen to them.
“There were almost 1000 objections, what’s the point of having a council who won’t listen to its residents?”
“It’s not the fact of it being a mosque, whether it’s a church or synagogue - these buildings are completely out of character for this type of area.”
Chaotic scenes erupted outside the gallery after the council voted to approve two applications on Tuesday night, with several residents hurling insults at councillors.
A heavy police presence, including security, stood guard outside the chambers, with Mayor Amanda Stapledon confirming there were “safety concerns”.
The council received almost 800 objections to Saarban Islamic Trust plans for a mosque at 365-367 Belgrave-Hallam Rd in Narre Warren North.
The proposed 10.7m-high mosque would include 226 car spots and a maximum capacity of 372 patrons, with larger numbers expected during twice-yearly festivals.
The other mosque, proposed by Doveton Afghan Islamic Centre and Omar Farooq Mosque, was also given the green light. It includes a morgue on the northern side of the building with a “maximum of four deceased people on the premises at any time”.
The plans include a building with a 10m maximum height, with minarets extending to 14m.
The Doveton complex is expected to have a capacity for up to 600 patrons.
Valentina Crnkovic said she was “disgusted” by the council’s decision to give the go-ahead for the Narre Warren North mosque.
“There’s been almost 800 objections to this — how could the council make this decision and refuse to listen to residents?” Ms Crnkovic said.
The other mosque, which will be located in Doveton and includes a morgue, was also given the green light.
Casey anti-mosque crusader, councillor Rosalie Crestani, said a morgue was “completely inappropriate” for the area.
“A funeral home came up to council a few years ago and I was totally against that because that was near a residential area,” the RiseUp Australia member said.
“I just don’t think a built area like that is an appropriate location (and) to put this together with a place of worship is totally unsavoury.”
Islamic Council of Victoria spokesman Adel Salman said there appeared to be an essence of “Islamophobia” within Casey.
“If you look at the response from the community in the past few years, a lot of the sentiments have bordered on Islamophobia — there is a segment of them that have been anti-Muslim,” Mr Salman said.
He said he welcomed the decision of the Doveton mosque proposing a morgue.
“It’s not common for mosques to offer this in Australia but it’s important that we have the facilities to wash and prepare the body for burials,” he said.
Mayor Amanda Stapledon said she appreciated residents’ objections against the mosque, but considered both applications by their “planning merits”.
“I met with the residents and looked at the plans very thoroughly … all had been met that was required from the applicant and I think they made a great effort to make sure what they’re building builds in with the environment,” Cr Stapledon said.
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She said the large police presence was due to safety concerns and wanted to protect the general public.
“We thought it was all going to be fine but history tells us this hasn’t always been the case … I didn’t have cause for concern but it was due diligence on the advice of Victoria Police.”