Detailed plans for Wagga's first mosque placed on public exhibition

Muslim Association Riverina Wagga Australia (MARWA) lodged the proposed design for the $2 million project in October.

Wagga City Council is expected to hand down its verdict on the proposal in the coming months and the community has now been given the chance to sift through the designs.

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MARWA vice-chair Sajid Latif said excitement is building among the Islamic community as they await council approval.

"We are very excited honestly and we believe the broader community are feeling the same," Mr Latif said.

"Lots of Muslim community members are actually submitting their own comments on the application."

Mr Latif is confident every necessary box has been ticked for the project and he said MARWA would be happy to address and questions or concerns raised.

Earmarked for an empty plot on Jones Street in East Wagga, plans for the mosque include a pair of interconnected two-storey buildings, a large car park and a basketball court.

The larger building would hold the main prayer hall, a gallery of Islamic art and a nursery, while the second would contain a multi-purpose hall, kitchens and various offices.

According to planning documents, the mosque would have a "contemporary" style which reinforces the industrial character of East Wagga.

The building has been purposefully set back from the road network to provide a calm space for prayer away from potential noise.

MARWA is hoping the inclusion of dedicated spaces for people to exercise, study and socialise will make the mosque a community hub for Riverina residents.

Mr Latif said it is hoped the mosque will be open and available for use in early 2024.

The mosque has been a dream for the local Islamic community for 20 years and almost the entire $2 million has been raised through donations.

Muslims in the Wagga region have been praying at the Islamic Study Centre on the Charles Sturt University campus since 1995, however as their population has surged the building has been deemed inadequate.

Since the start of the COVID pandemic, the community has been travelling across town praying in various halls and gyms big enough to hold them.

More than 650 people in Wagga identified as Islamic during the 2021 national census, compared to just 77 in 1991.

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