Camden Council rejects Islamic school

A south-west Sydney council has voted unanimously to reject a controversial proposal to build a 1200-student Islamic school.

Camden Council tonight voted against the proposal, following an adverse ruling in a report by council planners last week.

Mayor Chris Patterson said the decision was based on concerns surrounding the impact on traffic flows, loss of agricultural land, but not on religious grounds.

"It is a site issue, clearly a site issue ... we said all along religious issues, nationalistic issues, will not be entered into," Mr Patterson told AAP after the decision.

Mr Patterson said the school's backers - the Qu'uranic Society - were "absolutely" encouraged to resubmit their plan if they could identify a different site within Camden.

"We would welcome them to find an appropriate site. I'm all for choice of educational facilities," he said.

A crowd of more than 200 residents attended tonight's meeting in Camden amid heightened security.

The vote was the first item on the agenda and took place just after 6pm (AEST). The decision was greeted with applause from the crowd.

The council took the unusual step of holding a press conference straight after the decision to explain its actions, before resuming its normal meeting.

The community has been bitterly divided over the proposal since the Qu'uranic Society Dar Tahfez El-Quran lodged its plan for the 1,200-student school with Camden Council last year, sparking tension in the community.

The development has been the subject of heated town meetings and a protest rally involving up to 1,000 people.

Tensions reached a climax in November when two pigs heads were rammed on metal stakes with an Australian flag draped between them at the school's proposed site.

During community consultation over the proposed school, the council received more than 3,000 submissions about the school from local residents, with only 50 in favour of the development.

A council planner's report last week recommended against the development, but the final decision was left to a vote of the council tonight.

"The report was very clear (raising issues) from traffic concerns as to an increase in movements and the inability of the road to be able to cope with those movements," Mr Patterson said tonight of the planners' concerns.

"The Department of Primary Industries ... rejected it on the grounds of losing valuable primary industry lands. The RTA had grave concerns in relation to traffic. The police had grave concerns.

"The applicant, if they feel council has not made the right decision, they have every ability (to appeal) in the land and environment court, which is their prerogative."

The Qu'uranic Society was not represented at tonight's meeting.

It is understood the group, which spent $1.5 million on the land and $250,000 on the development application, is planning an appeal.

The group also could not rule out selling the land, ABC Television reported tonight.