Hurstville mosque project backed by Sonny Bill Williams continues to stall

A mosque proposed in southern Sydney seven years ago which has received almost $6 million in community funding, and is backed by Sonny Bill Williams, has stalled yet again.

The Botany Gardens Nursing Home in Sydney’s Carlton suburb was proposed to be changed into a place of worship for Muslims in December 2019.

The plan, put forward by the non-profit Hurstville Community Centre (HCC), would include a partial demolition and some alterations to the structure to build a mosque and provide 27 parking spaces.

The project was approved with the developer also having ruled out holding functions such as Eid celebrations on site, but almost seven years later, it sits empty.

Georges River Council were taken to court by the HCC after the development application was refused over amenity and site unsuitability concerns in 2021.

The community centre won this case and in 2022 received council permission to begin construction despite more than 2000 residential submissions mostly opposing the project.

Sonny Bill Williams (left) has backed the construction of a mosque in Southern Sydney. Photo / Hurstville Masjid

A community fundraiser in the same year raised almost $6m by auctioning off items such as a car and a Breitling watch.

Work on the site stopped in February 2025 after the council found ”excessive demolition" to the structure in 2023, taking the builders to court which resulted in them being fined more than $14,000 plus legal fees.

Former All Black Sonny Bill Williams, who converted to Islam in 2009, had previously made appearances on the project’s social media pages to support the construction.

“I have an emotional attachment to this Masjid because it’s in my area ... it’s where I learned Islam,” Williams said.

“I just think that we will finally have a place of our own in Hurstville, that’s the most important thing.”

Williams also provided an update to the project on his own Instagram page in February 2025.

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“We are here, unfortunately almost three years later, at the site of the Hurstville Masjid. It’s just a matter of technicalities between the builders and council, and that’s what has held us back for the past year,” he said.

A motion to hold a public forum to residents to discuss the plan and the status of the site will be put forward by independent councillor Ben Wang, while Georges River Council told the Sydney Morning Herald it would “continue to ensure that any ongoing or future works comply with all relevant planning approvals and conditions”.