PlanningAlerts

16 Comments

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1. This site is not suitable as an education facility. It should be redeveloped to serve the retail needs of the people of Penrith as the site is in such a prominent location of the CBD.

2. The proposed site is not suitable for a school of any description due to its location right next to a busy intersection. A Muslim school that only allows Muslim children and employs Muslim teachers is not warranted or needed in Penrith. Penrith is predominantly Australian Christians. An Islamic school will only cause outrage amongst the community. Council owes the people of Penrith a chance to vote on the subject matter and to have their say ... it's their community and their heritage !!!!

3. Traffic will be a nightmare and is not safe for students to cross the road. Also, there would not be enough students in the area to fill such a large school. Would be better built elsewhere where there is already a need and where there is more space. I pass through this intersection often and it is always very busy. Thank you

4. As stated in previous comments the position of this site is entirely unsuitable for use as a school due to the existing high traffic levels in the area, already being controlled by existing traffic lights. The prospect of an Islamic School also has the potential to change the existing culture in the area and create problems that are all too familiar in other areas.

5. What is wrong with penrith council?? We the people of the penrith do not want a Islamic school in penrith cbd!! How much is the Islamic council or Saudi Arabia paying you councillors??? And then you wonder why we don't trust any politicians!!!

6. Given everything thats going on in Australia and around the world at the moment, Im disheartened that Penrith council would consider this application for approval. We are constantly reminded in the media that everyone should be treated as one and live in harmony yet applications for these types of institutes are still being accepted. If Australia continues to be more concerned about 'upsetting' someone before putting their safety first, I have grave concerns for our future. Rejecting this application would be a step in the right direction.

7. This decision for a school on this location is disasterous, the application for having kindergarten to yr 12 on these premises is unthinkable. How could such a small area of this development hold so many students? The original school was closed due to student numbers exceeding the requirements of the school. This happened over many years of the schools operation.

   Another question is that due to high volumes of traffic and the vast development of Penrith as a community where would drop off points be and how would traffic conditions be catered to in peak time of school travel and general peak times for businesses. Also the fact the road is a major arterial into penrith from the north and east. Also I use this part of the Henry street regularly to access penriths CBD and in my years as a council employee the major construction to cater for such a development would be unbeneficial to the area. The bride to the North has to be approved by the STA for redevelopment and to increase the size of the road, Also the road from the east is not viable as the redevelopment of businesses could not relocate. So the traffic surveys for this development are flawed to start with. Any type of development on Jane st is untenable due to the development of the shopping precinct next to the school. So how would parking for the administration of the school go? How would parents drop the children off and where would they park of an afternoon? Most school zones in the area are parked out with parents picking up their children by 2pm? to have a major traffic delay in this part of the CBD would creat traffic chaos.

   Also as historic part of the culture of Penrith this site should be retained as a historical landmark. My family has had over 150yrs settlement in the Penrith area and to see this happen to such a great city is a shame.

8. The location is not suitable for ANY school let alone an Islamic school. The area is way too congested with traffic and parking issues due to the vicinity of the Courthouse, Police Station and nearby businesses. With the future growth plans for the Penrith CBD, this location is clearly an unsuitable option for a school and way too busy an intersection which will only worsen over the years to come. It is also listed as a Black Spot indicated by signage. If Council approved this DA they would be putting the lives of school children at risk which would put Penrith Council in a position to be sued in the future. The college has future plans for the school to go from Kindergarten to Year 12 (over 300 students), that's a lot of students on a small site. As a ratepayer and resident of Penrith, I strongly oppose this DA on the above grounds. All councillors should appreciate and take note of the Penrith residents as they are the ones who pay their rates and vote !!!!

9. To whom it may concern

   I would like to thank the community for allowing my voice to be heard and taking the time in reading this.

   First I will introduce myself, my name is Ashleigh I'm 26 years old, a mother of 3 daughters & a resident of Jordan springs.
   I was born in Westmead hospital and raised in a small town called Schofields. At the age of 16 I moved to the Penrith area and have been living here for 10 years. Penrith is my home and the community I am raising my family in. My entire family moved here. My mum was born in England and migrated here at the age of 4 my grandfather fought for the English navy and went to Vietnam, my father was born in Australia and so were his parents my pop was in the war and fought for this country. Every year my family attend the dawn service for Anzac Day it's safe to say we are a proud Australian family. I grew up eating weetbix and Vegemite and it's now a household favourite with my kids. My first job was at McDonald's McGraths hill. So from this introduction you would assume that i sound like a pretty typical Australian woman.
   Now to tell you about another part of me. For around 7 years I have been a Muslim, it is something I delved into in high school and found was what I believed is right for me, I put on the hijab under my own free will and is a choice I have made and am happy with. The Islam I know has taught me to be patient, kind, humble, generous, forgiving and to be respectful. I am truely saddened at the hate and anger that is projected towards Muslims
   It hurts that when I go to Penrith Westfield I have been called a "f@&@ terrorist" "go back to where you came from" "Muslim dog" and then have to explain to my children why strangers are calling their mother these things. I am just as Australian as anyone else, I am a human being and have never hurt anybody nor do I have any intention on doing so. The Australia I know and love is an accepting and tolerant society that doesn't judge a human based on religion or culture and I think it's time I gave Muslims a positive voice especially in the Penrith community. I want to show people that we are kind and good people who want to raise a family with the same core values and morals as any other household. My husband was born and raised in Australia and has never left the county his parents immigrated here from Lebanon and have worked hard to raise their family here in this country they are amazing people who have never caused any trouble for anyone.
   I think in this sad time we need to unite and demonstrate that we can all live peacefully together in a respectful community without hate without judgment without racism and continue to do so to be good role models for the future generations. I do not want my children being targeted with verbal abuse purely for their faith without anyone taking the time to get to know them as a human being.
   Hate only spreads hate and it needs to stop.
   People like Pauline Hanson and Marcus Cornish only do worse for this country going on the news preaching what Islam is and teaches with no facts everything that has been said about Islam I disagree completely with and it is NOT what it teaches. Unless these politicians have read the Quran studied it have some sort of doctrine in Islam, have mingled with local Muslims given them time to get to know us and understand us then it's about time they get Educated instead of just opinionated. It is unfair to judge and label an entire faith based on the actions of a small minority of radical extremists just like it wouldn't be fair for me to assume and categorise all priests as pedophiles based on the amount of cases on the news of recent. Would it? So the hate just needs to end. The judgement, the cruelty, the anger is not the Australia I know.
   Terrorism is NOT Islam
   I am tired of having to repeatedly say that Muslims are not terrorists. Being made to feel like I need to apologise for the actions of other people whom I don't know nor do I support.

   If this proposed school was to be of another faith based school would there be such an uproar? Why is it ok for there to be a number of catholic schools implementing Christianity yet 1 Islamic school is causing so much anger.

   Even if all terrorist attacks were carried out by Muslims, you still could not associate terrorism with Islam: There have been 140,000 terror attacks committed worldwide since 1970. Even if Muslims carried out all of these attacks those terrorists would represent less than 0.00009 percent of all Muslims. To put things into perspective, this means that you are more likely to be struck by lightening in your lifetime than a Muslim is likely to commit a terrorist attack during that same timespan.

   If all Muslims are terrorists, then all Muslims are peacemakers: The same statistical assumptions being used to falsely portray Muslims as violent people can be used more accurately to portray Muslims as peaceful people. If all Muslims are terrorists because a single digit percentage of terrorists happen to be Muslim, then all Muslims are peacemakers because 5 out of the past 12 Nobel Peace Prize winners (42 percent) have been Muslims.

   The Quran does not teach terrorism or suicide it is actually against so and teaches love and kindness

   "Whosoever kills an innocent human being, it shall be as if he has killed all mankind, and whosoever saves the life of one, it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind. "(5:32)

   “And do not kill yourselves.  Surely, God is Most Merciful to you.” (Quran 4:29)

   “And do not throw yourselves in destruction.” (Quran 2:195)

   The reward of goodness is nothing but goodness. (Al Quran 55:61)

   "Be quick in the race for forgiveness from your Lord, and for a Garden (paradise) whose width is that of the heavens and of the earth, prepared for the righteous - Those who spend (freely), whether in prosperity or in adversity, who restrain (their) anger and pardon (all) men - for God loves those who do good." Chapter 3, Verses 133-134

   "And what will explain to you what the steep path is? It is the freeing of a (slave) from bondage; or the giving of food in a day of famine to an orphan relative, or to a needy in distress. Then will he be of those who believe, enjoin fortitude and encourage kindness and compassion." Chapter 90, Verses 12-17

   "Show forgiveness, speak for justice and avoid the ignorant." Chapter 7, Verse 199

   Be good. Verily, Allah loves those who are good.
   Surah Al-Baqarah 2:195

   The true servants of the Gracious One are those who walk upon the earth with humility and when they are addressed by the ignorant ones, their response is, Peace; (25:63)

   A good action and a bad action are not the same. Repel the bad with something better and, if there is enmity between you and someone else, he will be like a bosom friend. (41:34)

   He does not forbid you to deal kindly and justly with anyone who has not fought you on account of your faith or driven you out of your homes: God loves the just. (60:8)

   There is plenty more verses I could go on just as the bible also has violent passages we don't take out of context

   Muslims shouldn't be persecuted for the actions of extremists so I urge the community to open its hearts and minds to everyone

10. This DA is to build and Islamic College on the grounds of Crown Land - a school that segregates as opposed to promoting assimilation, in an area that already has extreme traffic issues! Irfan College does not enroll students who are non-Muslims, and that is segregation! It is not about racism - you need to address the DA accordingly! Further, your comments about terrorism have no place in this debate - Inappropriate and very strange that you have chosen to make this an issue in your comments, along with your quotes from the Quran! Neither topics have an impact on the DA!

11. Ann Lord
    As it has been said repeatedly the site is totally inappropriate for a school the traffic
    will be a nightmare. The Penrith people should be allowed to decide wether this school
    should be allowed in Penrith. I'm totally against any Islamic College in Penrith anywhere. We already have schools here.

12. This forum - and more importantly the determination of this development application -should not be allowed to be hijacked by people whose only real objection is that it is for an Islamic School.

    I find it laughable that this site - with a history of education dating back to the 1860s - is suddenly considered not suitable for educational establishments. It's got a long history of existing use rights!

    If this site is not suitable for educational establishments, why was this not a big concern when the relevant planning controls were reconsidered? Traffic and parking issues have not changed significantly since then.

    I suspect that the same objections would not be forthcoming if this proposal was for a Catholic, Anglican or evangelical christian school.

    While parking, traffic and the safety of pedestrians (particularly young students) is a concern in this part of Penrith, it is an issue around ANY school. Or is the site of the current Penrith Public School and Penrith High School inappropriate for a school due to traffic and parking issues? What about St Nicholas of Myra? They are all in the CBD.

    There are broader issues relating to parking (particularly all day and commuter parking) in the Penrith CBD that do need to be urgently addressed. While Council and the relevant state government agencies would be negligent in their duty if they do not develop an appropriate plan to address parking and traffic issues in the Penrith CBD, this is not the forum for that discussion.

    The proposal must be supported or rejected on purely planning grounds - if it complies with the relevant environmental planning controls then it should be approved. If it does not, then it should be rejected.

    Conditions can be placed on any approval to try to minimise traffic and parking issues - e.g. staggering school starting and finishing times so that they do not coincide with those of nearby schools. (I note that Penrith Public School and Penrith High School both start and finish later than other schools in the Penrith Area).

    The proposal should not be rejected based on people's intolerance, ignorance and poorly cloaked racism.

13. TIMELINE: PENRITH ISLAMIC MOSQUE AND OLD PUBLIC SCHOOL SITE DA

    1. October 2014 – Islamic Mosque at Kemps Creek approved by Penrith Council (10 Councillors for, 5 Councillors against)

    2. 25 August 2015 – Government Property NSW sale of Penrith Infants School, 57 Henry St, Penrith $4,500,00.00

    3. Early 2016 – Pre-DA

    4. 11 September 2016 – Penrith Council Elections – 15 Councillors (10 re-elected, plus 5 newly elected)

    5. March 2017 – DA

    Yes, the sale process/decisions for the school land and the Heritage listing are separate to the DA process, but the DA process is only up for consideration because the developers were sold the land. If any part of that sale decision or the Heritage listing decision were flawed, the sale can legally be overturned and I am certain there will be public furore!.

    A full and thorough investigation of all events shown in the timeline is paramount, so that the Penrith community can be certain that no inappropriate actions have taken place!

14. Firstly the site is inappropriate its on the corner of a very busy intersection. There are 2 schools in very close proximity and its very busy and congested area. Where are parents going to park to get their children to school ? It's a nightmare already its a crazy idea. We don't need another school in this area.

    Secondly we don't need a Muslim school in Penrith. We are mostly Christian in this country why are we allowing a minority to take over our local area ? They are not inclusive or tolerant of other religions. They say anyone can go there but honestly who would send their children to a Muslim school if they are not Muslim NO ONE. Its allowing them to be segregated and not assimilate. This causes a them and us mentality.
    We have a diverse community at the moment who get along well. This would cause a disruption to our community and it will never be the same. Please do not allow this proposal to go ahead.

15. Henry St Lemongrove Bridge is already a nightmare at peak times, throw in the Thornton estate with its 1000 dwellings and this proposed school and it will be total gridlock. The site is totally unsuitable given the ever growing population of the cbd and the lack of suitable drop off points.

16. This has to be an April Fool Joke. There is nothing positive in having this school placed in the centre of Penrith.

    • Firstly, doesn’t a Muslim school get funding from the Government? Doesn’t our Government sugar-coat everything they do for the Muslim schools. For example, when the large Auburn facility was going to be closed down because of fraud, Government was looking for schools for the poor students to go to. When a Government school gets closed down, it is left to the parents to find a spot for their child at another school. I am not happy paying Muslims in their own school when they will not conform to our Christian values. We are a multicultural country and we worked at it. Now we pussyfoot around bullies and thugs.

    • Secondly, the amount of theft and armed violence will increase as these young adult males in a Muslim culture are disrespectful; refuse to assimilate with Western Christian values; are terrifying to older Penrith community members as the males go around in groups.

    • Having travelled on trains for many years and passing through from Toongabbie to Auburn, I have found that the Muslim mothers are also an issue as their sons can do no wrong and they refuse to control them in public.

    • Women wearing covering over their face, is not something they have to do. It is their choice and it should be forbidden in banks, service stations and when approached by Law and Order personnel.

    I really don’t care if you think I am racist. I know I am not. This subject has to be brought out into the open and Australians, based on Christian values, should not have to apologise every time the poor Muslim is “offended”. Come off it. We try our damnedest to follow their rules when we travel to their land. They should be following our Christian values in our land.

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