Wyndham Council has approved plans for the relocation of a Hindu Temple in Hoppers Crossing after it was destroyed in a fire last year.
At the Tuesday 10 February planning committee, council gave the green light for the Guruji Mandir Temple to move to 639 Sayers Road.
The temple was previously located at 501 Sayers Road until a fire caused by an electrical short circuiting on 4 January 2025 damaged the building beyond use.
In the interim and through the assistance of the council, temple members have been using Wyndham Central College as a temporary space to conduct Saturday prayers.
The proposed operating hours are Saturday to Monday between 6pm and 9pm, with patron numbers not exceeding 60 at any one time.
A total of 35 car parking spaces have been earmarked, including 20 formal spaces and 15 for special events.
A single-storey brick building, the facility will primarily include a prayer space, a meditation space and meeting rooms.
Deputy mayor Preet Singh supported the application, claiming it was council’s duty to support the displaced group.
“As a council, it is essential that we support the current and future needs of our highly diverse community,” Cr Singh said.
“We have a responsibility to ensure that the religious and spiritual needs of our residents are acknowledged and supported so that no community feels overlooked.
“Asking established community organisations to relocate elsewhere with no realistic or defined timeline is neither practical nor fair.
“In essence this application does not seek to set a new precedent, it seeks to restore an existing one.
“We are being asked to allow a displaced community to return.“
Cr Jennie Barrera commended the group’s charity work and said having places of worship is integral for helping people and groups born abroad to settle well in Australia.
“I want to commend the group on the good work you do…the charitable work, also the spiritual guidance that you give to your communities,” Cr Barrera said.
“It is very important when people arrive in this country they have somewhere to go to connect with people who practice the same faith as them.”
