Hindu sect’s expansion plans fall foul of neighbours over parking, chanting

An expanding branch of Hinduism in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs is caught in a brawl with neighbours over a plan to build classrooms for religious philosophising.

Chinmaya Mission Australia started in a modest red-brick house in Templestowe in the 1980s, but Indian migration has since fuelled growth to 18 centres nationwide and thousands of followers.

The Hindu sect has now applied to redevelop its original home on Pioneer Drive, where resident monk Vasudha Chaitanya lives and teaches about 100 people per week.

However, Manningham Council rejected Chinmaya Mission’s proposal, triggering an appeal to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).

Neighbours fear the development would harm amenity in the quiet part of Templestowe, which is categorised as a Low-Density Residential Zone, designed for detached family homes on big blocks.

But Chinmaya Mission was granted an existing-use right for study groups and philosophy classes at the property in 2014.

At a preliminary hearing in May, Manningham council and residents argued that the site had grown into a busier place of worship and so the existing-use right no longer applied.

But VCAT sided with Chinmaya Mission and found the site was still primarily used for study groups and philosophy classes. Member Judith Perlstein also determined this would continue under the Mission’s plan to add modern classrooms and car parks.

However, the council and neighbours still opposed the development.

Resident Nick Reisis said neighbours were worried about increased traffic, car park safety, privacy for nearby homes, water run-off, light spillage and the new additions clashing with the area’s character.

Some objectors have complained about Mission attendees parking in front of their homes and chanting emanating from the house.

“I expect some noise, but as residents, we shouldn’t be expecting noise up to 12am without any sort of warning,” Reisis told a VCAT hearing on October 1.

Lawyer Rory O’Connor, acting for the Mission, emphasised the organisation had an existing use right to run classes. He said the only question for the tribunal was whether the proposed building was acceptable.

“It seeks to provide fit-for-purpose classrooms to replace an existing building that’s currently used to hold classes, but without the facilities and amenities that you’d expect for this type of use,” he said.

Chinmaya Mission board member Manish Sundarjee told The Age the proposal addressed some residents’ concerns by moving parking on-site, away from neighbouring driveways.

“We’re hoping that the finding of the tribunal will be a good outcome for us, the community, and – more importantly – the local residents,” he said.

“We’re working with them as a family. Yes, they’ve got some grievances, but we’re working with them.”

Several planning disputes have emerged recently as once-small Hindu organisations struggle to find space to accommodate one of the fastest-growing religious cohorts in Australia.

On September 25, a council-approved plan to build a Hindu temple in Cranbourne South was rejected by VCAT after neighbours raised amenity concerns.

On August 5, the Ayyappa Seva Sangam congregation lost a VCAT bid to build a multi-storey Hindu temple and dining hall in Pearcedale on the Mornington Peninsula.

In April, the 50-year-old Hare Krishna temple in Albert Park faced calls from neighbours to relocate amid heightened concern about increased noise, traffic and smells.

Ayush Srivastava, vice president of the Chinmaya Mission in Melbourne, said his organisation had grown on the back of increasing Indian migration too, but was different to other Hindu strands as it focused on smaller philosophy classes for families.

Srivastava said attendance in Templestowe had not grown as fast as other Chinmaya Mission locations in Berwick, Craigieburn, Cranbourne, Glen Waverley and Point Cook.

But the Melbourne community was created in Templestowe after spiritual leader Swami Chinmayananda visited in 1984, and a follower decided to host a small study group at their Pioneer Drive home.

Srivastava said weekend classes in Templestowe are run for families, adults and children.

Vasudha Chaitanya, the 27-year-old resident monk and teacher, grew up in Melbourne and attended RMIT University before she travelled to Mumbai to study Advaita Vedanta – a school of Hindu thought.

“This culture had such a strong pull because it’s the idea of finding inner fulfillment in this infinite sense,” she said.

“And I just noticed that I tried so much else in my life, but you would never get that same sense of fulfillment.”

Manningham council’s director of city planning Andrew McMaster said the council was opposed to the size and scale of the Mission’s proposed expansion – not the existing land use.

“We are committed to listening to and supporting our diverse communities, while ensuring development in Manningham complies with all relevant statutory and safety requirements,” he said.

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