A proposal to turn a Hoppers Crossing house into a community centre for Wyndham’s tightknit Oromo population has been rejected by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
The Oromo Islamic Resource Centre (OIRC) took its application to the tribunal after it was knocked back by Wyndham council in January.
The centre wanted to use a property in Leatherwood Drive for a community and resource centre and as a permanent home for the not-for-profit group.
The Oromo people are an ethnic group of Ethiopia, northern Kenya and parts of Somalia. With a 30 million population, they are the biggest ethnic group in Ethiopia and the wider Horn of Africa.
In its application to the council and the tribunal, the OIRC said the centre would be used for programs, education or welfare assistance, with share space where members of the Oromo community could meet and socialise.
The council rejected the application on a number of grounds, including the location being in a low-density residential area and the centre likely to adversely impact on the neighbourhood character and amenity, particularly due to noise and increased traffic.
Assessing the proposal at a hearing last month, VCAT member Michael Deidun said he had concerns about the level of activity that would be occurring on the site and the impact it would have on existing residents.
“I am also left unclear as to how often there will be people coming and going from this facility … [there is] potential for up to 50 people to be coming and going from the site every hour,” he said. “Such use of the land would constitute a level of activity that would contrast significantly with the existing quiet residential environment.
“My assessment is that the Oromo Islamic Community have chosen a site for their place of assembly that is particularly sensitive to increased activity and where off-site amenity impacts are difficult to manage.
“Even at its most restricted state, this proposed land use will still introduce a level of activity and traffic movements to this quiet residential neighbourhood that will result in an unacceptable impact on residential amenity.”
The OIRC could not be reached for comment before Star Weekly went to print.
