Showing posts with label
Goodwood Community and Education Trust.
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Showing posts with label
Goodwood Community and Education Trust.
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This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:
Mosque plans given go-ahead by Leicester City Council
Plans to build a mosque with a 60ft minaret on the site of a demolished public house have been approved.
The scheme by Goodwood Community and Education Trust was voted through unanimously at a city council planning meeting on Thursday, despite opposition from some neighbours.
The trust was also given permission to continue using a temporary centre on the site in Gamel Road, Evington, until the permanent building is ready.
Objectors had complained visitors to the temporary mosque would cause parking problems and disturb neighbours in the early hours of the morning.
City council planning committee chairman Patrick Kitterick proposed the scheme should be accepted as there was an established community use on the site.
His deputy Bill Shelton, who lives three minutes' walk from the mosque, said: "In the past, the land has looked like a building site. I like the design of the building.
"I hope users will talk to the residents to resolve problems."
Councillor Dr Lynn Moore said: "I think we should encourage the building of holy places dedicated to prayer."
Ward councillor Baljit Singh said he supported the application for the mosque, but said it was essential worshippers abided by the conditions regarding noise and traffic.
Councillor Susan Barton told the meeting she felt the building was tall in comparison to surrounding houses.
Trustee and imam Ibrahim Mogra said after the meeting: "We are pleased. We hope to invite the wider community to use our facilities, so it is not exclusively for worshippers."
During the meeting he said the temporary centre had already opened its doors to the community for meetings.
He said: "Our intention is to open up rooms for coffee mornings, meetings and education."
He said to reduce parking problems, worshippers would be urged to walk while the new building was being erected.
Those who could not walk would be encouraged to worship at another mosque.
The application was opposed by a group of residents, 33 of whom signed a petition.
Dalziel McLean Carr spokesman for the objectors told the committee: "We do not think it is a suitable location for a mosque."
This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:
Religious centre plan to go ahead
Plans to build a place of worship and education centre look set to be approved despite neighbours' objections.
Goodwood Community and Education Trust wants to put up a three-storey religious centre, with a 19m-high minaret and 31-space car park.
It would be at the corner of Gamel Road and Davenport Road, Goodwood, Leicester, where temporary cabins have served a similar purpose for five years.
The redevelopment plan – for a former pub site – will go before Leicester City Council's planning and development control committee on Thursday. Senior planning officers are recommending the scheme be approved.
However, 33 people have signed a petition opposing the plans and six sent in letters of objection. They said the site was not big enough, would be too noisy and would create traffic and parking problems.
Carol Wellborn, of Davenport Road, said: "We've lived here for 50 years, but every Friday can't get a parking space in our own street.
"The big thing for me is the buses. During prayer times on Friday, the roads are blocked. It means buses can't get through. They are a lifeline to the many elderly people in this area.
"My neighbours are Sikh and Muslim and I have no problem with that, but my view is there are enough mosques.
"This place would be ideal for a youth or community centre, which people are crying out for – something everyone could use."
A Harringworth Road resident, who did not want to be named, said: "They say they're a community centre, but a tenants' association meeting the other day was the first time in five years they've invited us in.
"Come prayer time, it's impossible to park."
Another resident said: "Thirty-one parking spaces is nowhere near enough."
If approved, hours of use will be from 7.30am to 11pm on most days and conditions would prohibit parking on verges and live or amplified music or calls to prayer.
In his report, planning director Andrew Smith said: "I consider a new building and car park would greatly improve the appearance of this prominent corner plot.
"The proposed conditions would help to minimise the impact on nearby residential properties."
