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Mosque would be ‘a landmark’
Artist's impressions Masjid-e-Salaam on Watling Street Road, Fulwood.
A mosque proposed for a Preston conservation area would be a landmark building, according to the planning expert behind it.
Alban Cassidy, of planning consultants Cassidy and Ashton, said plans for the Masjid-e-Salaam mosque on Watling Street Road, Fulwood, would be one of the “grand public buildings” of the conservation area.
However, locals have raised concerns about the extra traffic they fear the building would attract and its impact on the area.
Mr Cassidy said: “We are not trying to replicate something on a domestic scale, but in the same way that when Christ Church was built over 100 years ago it sat within homes, we want this building to do the same.
“It is an opportunity to set a grand public building centrally on the site and within the context of the other grand buildings in the conservation area.”
He said the mosque committee, which secured planning permission from Preston Council for a smaller scale design in May 2008 after a long-running planning battle, had decided to put together the new plans after buying up two pieces of land next to the existing building.
Mr Cassidy said: “That gives the development more room to express itself, allowing more parking space, more space inside the building, more landscaping and creates a different context.”
The new building would lift the maximum amount of worshippers from 130 to 170, but the majority of the extra space would be used to provide more room in the building, including a bigger lobby area where worshippers would gather before entering prayer.
But Mr Cassidy said it would not consistently attract large numbers of people from outside the area.
He said: “It maybe that for special religious festivals, perhaps, there could be more people but the size of the prayer hall only adds an extra 40 people, so it is not going to be a huge number of extra people.”
Peter Horton, secretary of the Fulwood Conservation Association, said the group believed the building was “not in keeping” with the conservation area.
He added: “Just because the mosque has accumulated land does not mean it is okay to increase the size of its plans so substantially.”
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Comments
There are 34 comments to this article
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Preston lass
Sunday, June 13, 2010 at 09:28 PMAs a "grand public building", I would certainly be interested in having a look round when it is finished. In Preston I have visited a few Churches, the Hindu Temple, a Sikh Temple, 2 Mosques, and the Preston Mormon Temple in Chorley when it was open to the public. I find other peoples' beliefs interesting. For many years Britain has been predominantly Christian, and yet how many people say they are Christian without thinking, just because their parents professed to this religion? Is this so in the Moslem faith?
wolfy
Sunday, June 13, 2010 at 07:20 PMThis eyesore is not in keeping with the British skyline,as far as I'm concerned it does not belong in the uk under any cicrumstances.There are already far too many of these buildings in the country already...ENOUGH!!!!
kaffur
Sunday, June 13, 2010 at 01:16 PMIn the quo'ran it states to kill the pagans! Yet,Mohammed stole the concept of allah from the pagan arabs!He was one of hundreds of their idols,Him being there moon god. I agree with the bible were it states there'll be one mediator between God and mankind and his name will be Christ Jesus! It also states not to believe in false gods or prophets! Jesus Saves!Mohammed kills! 123 verses of the quo'ran condone the use of violence in the spreading of islam.People need to think about the bigger picture before throwing round the 'Racist' line at people!The truths about islam,muslims and the mentally deranged paedophile warlord mohammed need to be discussed. By reporting this comment proves there's something to hide!I'm not racist,just worried for the futures of this and every Western country with the onslaught of islam.
balders
Sunday, June 13, 2010 at 10:49 AMThe halfway house edges it.
laffalot
Sunday, June 13, 2010 at 01:25 AMSure is... it's a cracker ain't it!!!! Truth without racism... just wot our political parties wouldn't address!!! I think it may have made a crucial change.... perhaps?
kezzer
Sunday, June 13, 2010 at 12:56 AMLaffalot...email going round..??
bignorm
Saturday, June 12, 2010 at 11:09 PMits sad to see such caustic comments about a building of such architectural elegance or are the comments references to the people who will be using the building. I think i would rather have a mosque on my doorstep than the proposal put forward for the redevolopement of the old Bymbrig and Priding House site in Bamber Bridge, for those of you who are not familiar with these proposals let me ask you a simple question:- Would you prefer a Mosque for local residents or a Halfway House for social misfits from Liverpools deprived areas, to be built, i know which i would prefer and the social misfits from Liverpool are not on the list. Please try to remember that we are, whether we like it or not, a multi cultural multi racial society. So cut out the racist comments and stick to the point. I have seen a lot of religious buildings on my trips around the world and Mosque's are high on the list of buildings well worth visiting
laffalot
Saturday, June 12, 2010 at 06:24 PMTo the point without being racist .... Hit the nail on the head!! An incident occurred in a supermarket recently, when the following was witnessed: A Muslim woman dressed in a Burkha (A black gown & face mask) was standing with her shopping in a queue at the checkout. When it was her turn to be served, and as she reached the cashier, she made a loud remark about the English Flag lapel pin, which the female cashier was wearing on her blouse.The cashier reached up and touched the pin and said, 'Yes, I always wear it proudly. My son serves abroad with the forces and I wear it for him'. The Muslim woman then asked the cashier when she was going to stop bombing and killing her countrymen, explaining that she was Iraqi.At that point, a Gentleman standing in the queue stepped forward, and interrupted with a calm and gentle voice, and said to the Iraqi woman: 'Excuse me, but hundreds of thousands of men and women, just like this lady's son have fought and sacrificed their lives so that people just like YOU can stand here, in England, which is MY country and allow you to blatantly accuse an innocent check-out cashier of bombing YOUR countrymen'. 'It is my belief that if you were allowed to be as outspoken as that in Iraq, which you claim to be YOUR country, then we wouldn't need to be fighting there today'. 'However - now that you have learned how to speak out and criticize the English people who have afforded You the protection of MY country, I will gladly pay the cost of a ticket to help you pay your way back to Iraq'.. 'When you get there, and if you manage to survive for being as outspoken as you are here in England, then you should be able to help straighten out the mess which YOUR Iraqi countrymen have got you into in the first place, which appears to be the reason that you have come to MY country to avoid....' Apparently the queue cheered and applauded. F YOU AGREE... Pass this on to all of your proud British friends……… I just did..............!!! Support Our Troops
NYY
Saturday, June 12, 2010 at 11:27 AMWould there be such a fuss if this was going to be a Church. I don't think so. In any case Church building is a thing of the past, so lets look to the future. Denying them the ability to build a mosque… would be like denying the Roman Catholic Church the opportunity to build a church during the years of Irsh migration.
The Cat With Nine Lives
Saturday, June 12, 2010 at 10:46 AMI would have to say that planning applications apart this building looks fantastic in the photos. I would have to agree that althought part of this area is apparantly a conservation area much of it is quite shaby and some of the buildings that have been extended to have in my opinion been absymal.
gazzer1974
Saturday, June 12, 2010 at 08:35 AMThis is PRESTON ENGLAND not PAKISTAN These muslims have a countrycountries to go back too we the native English haven't. Great unrest lies ahead in this country, a lot of people are fed up with these people.
kells95e
Saturday, June 12, 2010 at 06:44 AMI can't help feel that Alban Cassidy's comments on it being a "landmark building", might have something to do with his commission he can expect to receive as a planning consultant on it. Looks good in the pics, however i feel a final coating of SEMTEX might just finish it off nicely, say about 200ibs worth !
angryman9
Friday, June 11, 2010 at 11:48 PMWe are pulling down english churches every week all over britain. The only religious buildings being erected are Mosques. Take a look at the future.
kezzer
Friday, June 11, 2010 at 11:01 PMWhy dont the Council allow this Mosque to be rebuilt,fully on the disused park and ride in Fulwood...the building looks fantastic.There will be no access or parking issues and no complaints from neighbours...just an idea.
Frenchwoody
Friday, June 11, 2010 at 08:00 PMSome of the 'in keeping' objections are humbug. If you walk round the area you can see plastic windows in Victorian houses, a horrible car dealership on the main road, a shabby VIctorian workhouse and tacky shop fronts as well as plenty of traffic to North End, Preston College and PRI. * There's a lot of barely concealed islamophobia in all this and that's the truth.
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