Victoria’s planning tribunal has knocked back a $4.5 million proposal to build a Hindu temple in Pearcedale’s protected green wedge zone, ending a marathon three-and-a-half-year fight that mobilised hundreds of locals and environmental advocates.
The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) delivered its 50-page ruling on Thursday 7 August 2025, affirming Mornington Peninsula Shire’s opposition and refusing a permit for the Melbourne Ayyappa Seva Sangam (MASS) project.
It is reported that at the heart of the tribunal’s decision was a finding that the development failed to meet the stated purpose of the Green Wedge Zone 2 (GWZ2), which includes supporting agriculture, encouraging sustainable land management, conserving environmental and landscape values, and protecting biodiversity.
The temple proposal — slated for the corner of Dandenong-Hastings Road and South Boundary Road West — involved the removal of 0.746 hectares of native vegetation, including endangered Swamp Scrub, Swampy Woodland, Grassy Woodland and Healthy Woodland, as well as two large trees.
It is reported that despite proposed biodiversity offsets, the tribunal concluded there was too much uncertainty to allow the damage to be managed through permit conditions.
The MASS design featured a main temple complex, eating hall, toilet block, storage shed and a lake, with opening hours from 7am to 2pm and 5pm to 8pm daily, and two 24-hour annual events. The plan allowed for 150 patrons a day.
The tribunal found that while the cultural and religious architectural elements were important to the applicants, they would “starkly set it apart” from surrounding rural development.
The application was first lodged in December 2021. When Mornington Peninsula Shire failed to decide within 60 days, the case went to VCAT.
By early 2022, residents had formed the Peninsula Green Wedge Protection Group (PGWPG), drawing more than 300 formal objections and launching a campaign that would extend well beyond the Pearcedale proposal.
In October 2023, before the tribunal hearing had begun, MASS was granted permission to conduct a week-long religious pooja on the contested site.
By July 2024, tensions had deepened further when police began investigating the theft of 200 metres of steel fencing from the property.
The long-awaited VCAT hearing began in September 2024, stretching into 2025 due to the case’s complexity. Over 14 sitting days, the tribunal examined five key issues: biodiversity and vegetation impacts, built form acceptability, amenity concerns, wastewater management, and traffic.
While dust, noise, and light spill were raised by objectors, VCAT accepted the applicant’s mitigation plans, noting sealed access roads and parking would address dust, while light and noise impacts were not considered unacceptable. Wastewater management, traffic, and parking also passed scrutiny. But on biodiversity, vegetation loss, and rural character, the tribunal’s ruling was decisive — the permit was refused, and the temple project as proposed cannot proceed.
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