Last updated 12 June, 2003

A Family's Dream to build a Muslim Place of Worship is Shattered

Annangrove is a leafy suburb in Sydney's North-West. It falls within the Shire of Baulkham Hills. Around July or August of 2002, Abbas Aly's family was interested in contributing something back to their community. They felt they could do this by constructing a place of worship on 5 acres of land they own in Annangrove.

(a typical Annangrove scene taken from Annangrove Rd, off Old Windsor Rd, Sydney)

The proposal was introduced and at first Mr Aly, a local businessmen who's lived in Australia for 29 years, felt everything was going fine. The deadline for formal objections to the development was only days away when the Annangrove Progress Association, a local lobby group, contacted Aly and requested he ask the Council for an extension of time. Aly complied, even though he told the Association: "You're asking me to hang myself, but I will do it".

"It wasn't until the Annangrove Progress Association got involved with it that things started to get a bit out of hand." It was during the extension period that the Annangrove Progress Association bandied together to persuade residents to submit some 5000 odd objections to the Baulkham Hills Shire Council.

The proposal was then put to a Council vote in December 2002 with 12 councillors voting, including the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of the Shire. It was rejected 10:2. Aly then took the case to the NSW Land and Environment Court and a judgment is expected soon.

Councillor van de Weg, only 1 of 2 who voted in favour of the prayer hall, described the proposal as "modest". What Aly had in mind was a small scale prayer centre, which would appear from the outside much like an office.

Quoting the Council Motion, the development was put forward as:

• "proposed new building incorporating 3 hall areas, amenities and associated
  ancillary rooms/offices such as a kitchen, nursery and audio-visual room;
• parking for 62 vehicles, located partially to the front, side and rear of the new building
• vehicle access to Annangrove Road"

So why exactly was it rejected?

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