The High Court has thrown out a request to hear an appeal by opponents of Bendigo’s first mosque. Two Bendigo residents have been fighting the planned mosque, arguing the Bendigo City Council failed in their legal obligations to fully consider the social effect of the mosque.
The pair took the matter to the High Court after their challenge was dismissed first by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) and then the State Court of Appeal.
There were large protests in Bendigo over the plan last year, with opposing groups facing off against each other.
The Australian Islamic Mission applied in November 2013 to the Greater Bendigo City Council for the planning permit to build the mosque on Rowena Street at East Bendigo.
It was first approved by the council in June 2014 and a series of appeals have since been launched.
Debate around the mosque led to controversy and some divisions within the town and large protests were held in the centre of Bendigo in October last year.
The objectors said they have spent more than $200,000 on the legal process.
The request to hear an appeal was rejected by the High Court on 15 June 2016.
There are now no impediments to construction of the proposed mosque in Bendigo East.
