A new planning application for a proposed mosque in Melton West has stumbled, with the council seeking more information and expert consultation.
Councillors unanimously voted to defer a decision on the application for four months until soil testing could be completed to determine the land’s viability for development.
A planning permit for the mosque, which was never used, expired last year and a new application was tabled at last week’s meeting.
More than a dozen protesters rallied with placards and a sound system outside Melton council chambers before the April 30 meeting with police officers standing by to keep the peace.
Nearly 200 objections were received by council against the new application for a “place of worship” at 171-197 Harkness Road. The planned mosque has been a centre of controversy for a number of years, sparking clashes between police and protesters in 2015.
Cr Ken Hardy said the suitability of the land for development needed to be explored further, citing a state government report from the mid-1980s that said soil at a nearby site had “serious limitations which would require expensive engineering solutions”.
“The difficulty we have now, is determining the suitability of this land to build on,” he said. “We need expert advice to give us that information.”
Council planning services manager Bob Baggio said he was aware of the report, by the Urban Land Authority and commissioned for a residential development in Harkness Road.
“The report concluded that there were a number of issues which ultimately meant that the land was not developed for residential purposes,” Mr Baggio said.
“There were also no services, no water, sewage or gas and it did highlight that the soils in that area were quite volatile, which is quite normal throughout our municipality.”
Objectors applauded council’s deferral of a decision. Their concerns include hours of operation, traffic, noise and visual impacts.
The new application specifies that no more than 60 people would be present at the site at any one time.
