WAVERLEY Council has distanced itself from a court decision to ban a synagogue in Bondi Beach because of concerns it would be a target for Islamic terrorism.

The Land and Environment Court on Wednesday rejected plans for the synagogue at Bondi, in a move the Jewish community said was “rewarding terrorism”.

media_camera Artist impression of the synagogue development at Wellington Street, Bondi.

A Waverley Council spokeswoman said the applicant group, Friends of Refugees of Eastern Europe (FREE), had lodged the original development with council last year.

When council had not dealt with it after 40 days, it was deemed refused and FREE sought a ruling from the Environment Court.

“It was the Land and Environment Court’s decision to dismiss the appeal put forward by the applicant and refuse the development application,” a council spokeswoman said.

media_camera Artist impression of the synagogue development at Wellington Street, Bondi.

Waverley Council general manager Cathy Henderson said that if the applicant resubmitted a development application, council would assess it.

“I’m not a lawyer but the court decision yesterday, to me, has the character of a technical planning decision,” she said.

“The applicant, of course, has the opportunity to lodge a development application having taken into account the judgment of the court.

“If a new development application was submitted for the site, Waverley Council would consider (it) afresh, on its merit and that’s the same for all development applications.”

Ms Henderson reassured local residents that Waverley was a “safe place”.

In refusing to allow the new place of worship, Land and Environment commissioner Graham Brown cited “potential risk” to the public, as well as explaining that the proposal clashed with the character of the street.

He also cited “noise and the loss of privacy” in rejecting the application to demolish tennis courts in order to build a synagogue on Wellington St.

“The site is unsuitable for a synagogue because of the potential risk to users and other members of the general public,” Mr Brown said in a judgment on Tuesday.

“It would seem that a more sophisticated risk assessment process could be required for matters such as a potential terrorist threat.”

media_camera Artist impression of the synagogue development at Wellington Street, Bondi.

The head of the local Jewish community, Rabbi Yehoram Ulman, said the council and the court had effectively stifled freedom of religion and ­rewarded terrorism.

The council spokeswoman said: “The Waverley community is enriched by our diverse faiths and places of worship including our synagogues.”

“Waverley Council has a strong history of partnerships with the Jewish community and will continue to work closely with the Jewish community and Jewish organisations,” she said.

The spokeswoman said FREE had chosen to submit a Preliminary Threat and Risk Analysis report prepared by a counter-terrorism consultant as part of their development application.

“The Land and Environment Court found that the potential risks outlined by the applicant’s own report were not addressed appropriately,” she said.

“In particular, the risks to neighbours and passers by were not sufficiently addressed.

“The court found that it was clearly the applicant’s responsibility to address these risks. For this reason, the court refused the appeal.

“Waverley Council wishes to reassure the community that Waverley Council did not refuse this development application. It was a decision of the Land and Environment Court.”