Brethren’s $134m Sydney mega-church approved despite traffic fears
A bid to build one of Western Sydney’s largest places of worship has been given the green light despite concerns about the impact of traffic during large religious gatherings on surrounding businesses.
Parramatta Council’s local planning panel has approved a $134 million development application by the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church to build a two-storey church hall on the banks of the Parramatta River at Rydalmere.
The project will transform 3.8 hectares of industrial space on Pike Street into a large religious complex that can accommodate up to 3,500 worshipers during special events.
The development marks a significant expansion for the Plymouth Brethren, formerly known as the Special Brethren, and allows the congregation to move from its 50-year-old former hall in nearby Ermington, which church representatives say has become too small for its growing membership.
Founded nearly 200 years ago, the global movement has 55,000 members worldwide, including approximately 16,600 in Australia.
The group gained national attention during the 2022 federal election campaign after members were seen distributing campaign materials for Liberal and National party candidates.
The activity prompted Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to raise questions about the Coalition’s relationship with the church and led the Brotherhood to publicly reject suggestions that the church was operating as a “cult”.
Development plans indicate the complex will include a large auditorium, meeting rooms and landscaped open space that will host a variety of events such as Bible readings, prayer meetings, Lord’s Supper gatherings and larger national and international church events.
The project also includes flood mitigation works, a car park for 620 vehicles and parking for up to 48 buses.
The approval comes as Sydney faces a wave of large-scale religious development proposals reflecting both population growth and increasing demand for purpose-built worship facilities in the city’s sprawling suburbs.
While city officials supported the proposal, neighboring businesses expressed concerns about the impact of large religious gatherings on local roads and freight movements.
Submissions submitted during the public consultation process warned that events attracting thousands of attendees could create significant traffic congestion, impacting truck access and workers working at one of Western Sydney’s major manufacturing and logistics centres.
At this week’s planning panel meeting, members questioned church representatives about whether major events should take place on weekdays and potentially overlap during peak industrial traffic.
Project manager Craig Jones told the panel extensive traffic modeling had been carried out and the plans had received approval from Transport for NSW following assessments of attendance numbers and local road capacity.
Panel members ultimately supported the proposal but emphasized the need for robust traffic management measures as part of the conditions for approval.
A spokesman for the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church welcomed the approval in a statement.
“The proposed new hall will allow us to better accommodate larger gatherings and welcome parishioners from around the country and world several times a year,” he said.
“According to the plans, the hall will be used mainly at weekends and in the evenings and will have ample on-site car parking, meaning there will be little disruption to our neighbours.”
The approval comes amid several other major faith-based developments across Sydney, including plans linked to Hillsong’s Hills campus precinct in Norwest that include the addition of up to 915 apartments while allowing church operations to continue.
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David Barwell is urban affairs correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.
