Residents against proposed mosque in Northcliff

Residents of Northcliff are concerned about the application for consent for a mosque situated at the corner of Mountainview Avenue and Castlehill Drive.

The Application for Consent for a Place of Worship has been posted outside of Erf 1200 and residents have only until 19 April to object to the application for consent. “The notice was posted shortly before the Easter weekend, and from my investigations, not many people are aware of this application,” said a resident Andrea Wildemann. “I hope to create awareness of the intention to establish a place of worship within our residential area, so that the residents may be fully informed in deciding on the merits of the application,” she said.

The resident’s concerns are commercial interests encroaching on their residential neighbourhood. This impacts on the area’s property resale value.

Disturbance and noise is also a concern to the residents. The mosque intends to soundproof the prayer hall and have call to prayer via an electronic device and receiver, but the residents feel that soundproofing is not sufficient. As in the case of the ChurchAlive across the road, there are ongoing complaints from their neighbours who are a retirement village and a compromise has still not been reached.

Residents are worried that disturbances may also be generated by traffic. The document specifies that the mosque will open an hour and a half before sunrise. Sunrise in summer is around 5am, which means the mosque will start operating from 3.30 am.

Another problem residents worry about is the traffic that the parking on the street will cause. Wildemann said that the mosque site plan specifies 14 parking bays on the premises, and the rest will need to be street parking. “I already struggle to gain access to my road and driveway with school traffic, and believe that the traffic generated by a further 50 to 70 adults attending mosque will compound this problem,” said Wildemann.

The owner of the property Dr Nasir Khan commented and said, “Our intention is to establish an Islamic place of worship that is inclusive rather than exclusive, one that works with the community and is involved in the upliftment and caters for its spiritual, educational and social needs on a non profit basis.” He said that with the church across the road and the synagogue within walking distance, this is the best site and perfect opportunity to create a harmonious interfaith environment. “We view ourselves as an integral part of this area and wish to allay the apprehension and concerns of our neighbours and are committed to comply with the relevant regulations. We invite individuals or community leaders to engage with us and welcome any constructive proposals,” concluded Dr Khan.

A resident who lives four houses away from the mosque, Debbie Alfonso said,” I have no objection to the Muslim religion, but the site they chose is not ideal. There is already too much congestion with the school, the church and the retirement village, adding 70 more cars will turn into a nightmare.”

Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL) was contacted and commissioner Richard Botha said,” The mosque has to take into consideration what the community is protesting.” He said that if the City council agrees to have the mosque open after the legal routes have been taken, he suggests the community ask the council how they came to that decision and if the community is not happy about it, they can approach the CRL to open up a mediation process to find a resolution between the mosque and the community. “The council must be objective and find a common ground for religion and the community,” said Botha.

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