- Mosque wanted to broadcast the Muslim call to prayer
- Council shut it down over noise concerns
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A Western Sydney council has rejected an application to broadcast the Muslim call to prayer from a mosque over concerns it would create too much noise in the neighbourhood.
Canterbury-Bankstown Council rejected the proposal, which sought permission for the call to prayer to be broadcast at Australia’s largest mosque.
Lakemba Mosque in NSW had requested permission for the broadcast to take place once a week on Fridays for 15 minutes using four loudspeakers.
The development application, lodged in May by the Lebanese Muslim Association, triggered a heated community backlash, attracting more than 1,600 submissions in opposition.
Meanwhile, thousands signed an LMA petition supporting the proposal, with the petition declaring, ‘This is not about noise. This is about belonging.’
Independent Cr Saud Abu-Sameh even offered concerned residents a simple solution as he backed the proposal to broadcast the prayer.
‘If you’re really annoyed about the bell or about the sound, close your windows,’ he said.
The LMA has argued the impact would be limited, claiming only residents on Halden Street would hear the broadcast.
Independent Cr Saud Abu-Samen suggested concerned residents who live near Australia’s biggest mosque to ‘close their windows’ if the proposal goes ahead
Canterbury-Bankstown councillor Barbara Coorey, one of the proposal’s most vocal opponents
Council staff determined the proposed broadcast would be too loud and could disturb residents beyond the immediate vicinity of Halden Street
However, council staff determined the proposed broadcast would be too loud and could disturb residents beyond the immediate vicinity of Halden Street.
The LMA will now have to decide whether to abandon the application or commission independent acoustic auditors to reassess the potential noise impact.
Canterbury-Bankstown councillor Barbara Coorey, one of the proposal’s most vocal opponents, said the ‘honourable thing’ would be to withdraw the application.
Speaking about the rejection, she told the Daily Telegraph, ‘I’m not surprised this has no case. In terms of the planning regulations, it doesn’t pass the pub test.’
