Plans altered at mosque

Islamic Charitable Organisation proposes changes to parking

THE Toowoomba Islamic Charitable Organisation has applied to the Toowoomba Regional Council to make minor changes to its approved development application for a mosque on the corner of Stephen and West Sts in Harristown.

The organisation applied to the council this week, seeking approval to establish a caretaker’s residence at an existing house at 82 Stephen St, and to modify the carparking lot to increase the number of parking spaces.

The application proposes the currently approved car park off West St will become a grassed overflow carpark, and a larger carpark will be built on the corner of West and Stephen Sts.

“The proposed changes will result in an increase in the number of approved carparks to provide a total of 56 parking spaces and two PWD spaces,” the application report said.

“The development and the car parking area have been sensitively designed and enhanced through the provision of landscaping and 1.8m high screen fencing.

“This will reduce the acoustic impacts of the development on adjoining land uses while improving the aesthetic amenity and enhancing the microclimate of the site.”

Toowoomba Islamic Society president Professor Shahjahan Khan said the entrance to the Stephen St car park would also be shifted about 20m away from the intersection, making it safer for people to access the property.

“That’s going to be a big plus from a traffic management point of view,” he said.

The proposal does not make any changes to the existing approval of the mosque itself, which is presently under construction, more than three years after being hit by two separate fire-bombing attacks that left the original building severely damaged.

Professor Khan said depending on fundraising and other factors, ideally the mosque would be completed by the middle of 2019.