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February 23, 2026 — 5:00am
A proposal to build a mosque in southern Sydney, which has received almost $5 million in community funds and the support of a former NRL star, has stalled, and after almost seven years, two court battles, and a lengthy debate with the local council, the site remains empty.
Non-profit Hurstville Community Centre in December 2019 proposed turning the defunct Botany Gardens Nursing Home at 88-92 Botany Street, Carlton, into a place of public worship for Muslims to partake in prayer, youth activities, counselling, and education between 9am and 10pm, seven days a week.
The plan included partial demolition and alteration works to the nursing home to build a mosque and 27 car park spaces on the 1988-square-metre site. The developer outlined a maximum capacity of 120 people at any one time, and ruled out holding functions such as weddings, funerals, or Eid celebrations onsite, and prohibited amplified speakers or audio systems.
But after several years in the pipeline, a planning row, and numerous legal hurdles between the owners and the council, there is no building to show for the approved project – the site remains empty.
Hurstville Community Centre took Georges River Council to court and won, after the development application was refused in December 2021 over amenity and site unsuitability concerns. In 2022, it received council approval to begin construction, despite more than 2000 resident submissions which were mostly against the project.
Work then halted in February 2025 after the council discovered “excessive demolition” to the existing structure between May and September 2023. The builders were taken to court in December 2025, and fined $12,000, on top of the $15,000 the council spent on legal fees.
The non-profit also held a community fundraiser for the mosque project in December 2022. More than 80 items, including a red Mazda RX-8, KitchenAid stand mixer, luxury jewellery and a Breitling watch were auctioned off, raising more than $4.8 million.
Cross-code rugby league, rugby union, and boxing champion Sonny Bill Williams has also made frequent appearances on the organisation’s “Hurstville Masjid” Facebook and Instagram pages in support of the project.
“I guess I have an emotional attachment to this Masjid because it’s in my area … it’s where I learned Islam,” Williams said in a video. “I just think that we will finally have a place of our own in Hurstville, that’s the most important thing … it’s about us trying to help the community, leaving it in a better place for our kids and our kids’ kids.”
However, there has been no activity on the account, or any construction updates since June 2023.
Williams, who converted to Islam in 2009, posted a video on his personal Instagram account in February 2025 to provide an update on the project.
“We are here, unfortunately almost three years later, at the site of the Hurstville Masjid. It’s just a matter of technicalities between the builders and council, and that’s what has held us back for the past year,” he said.
Sheikh Kamal Taleb, who appeared alongside Williams, said: “Unfortunately as you could see not much progress has happened.”
Independent councillor Ben Wang will move a motion at a council meeting on Monday to hold a public forum for residents to discuss the plan, status of the site, and other community concerns. Wang said the project was a “long journey” and a “difficult situation for all involved”.
“Residents have been objecting to this for a very long time … I just want to promote transparency – it’s hard, we haven’t got the full story. I want the council to publish on their website the whole details, give an update, including answering questions, also to help dispel any misinformation,” he said.
A spokesperson for Georges River Council said they would “continue to ensure that any ongoing or future works comply with all relevant planning approvals and conditions.”
Hurstville Community Centre, and Sheikh Kamal Taleb, who the organisation said oversaw the project, were contacted for comment.
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