Preston Brick Veil Mosque inquiry closes as debate rages over whether the place of worship should be permitted

A proposed new mosque on the outskirts of Preston would be a “brilliant place of worship…for a great city”, the closing stages of a public inquiry into the plans has been told.
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However, opponents of the project claimed that the striking structure could not achieve both the landmark status it seeks while also being suitable for the small plot of land earmarked for it.

That is one of many competing conundrums with which a planning inspector will now be left to wrestle as he considers whether to recommend that the government grants permission for the Brick Veil Mosque, which would be built on a site alongside the Broughton roundabout at the interchange of the A6, M55 and M6.

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Darren Hendley has heard almost 50 hours of evidence over the course of more than a week - wrapped up in claim and counter-claim - about whether the scheme should ever be allowed to get off the ground.

The plot proposed for the new mosque is an elevated patch of ground that was previously used as a compound during construction of the Broughton Bypass more than five years ago (image: RIBA)The plot proposed for the new mosque is an elevated patch of ground that was previously used as a compound during construction of the Broughton Bypass more than five years ago (image: RIBA)
The plot proposed for the new mosque is an elevated patch of ground that was previously used as a compound during construction of the Broughton Bypass more than five years ago (image: RIBA)

Those arguments - which have centred on issues including the appearance of the planned building, the need for it and the effect it could have on a nearby listed church - were rehearsed again on Wednesday afternoon as representatives of all the interested parties at the inquiry summed up their case.

The blueprint for the mosque - a three-storey, 12-metre high building with a 30-metre tall minaret - was born out of a worldwide design competition run by Royal Institute of British Architects.

READ ALL OF THE POST’S COVERAGE FROM THE INQUIRY:

Peter Black, the advocate acting for Broughton Parish Council - which objects to the proposal in its current form - told the inquiry that “in parts of Preston, this building could be an asset”.

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However, he added: “The development has been designed as a prominent, iconic structure that, by definition, will dominate - yet it’s claimed that it will not affect the residual rural and open character and appearance of the site and surroundings.

“The developer cannot have it both ways - it cannot be an iconic structure that is also unobtrusive in the landscape,” Mr. Black said.

However, the barrister representing the firm that has brought forward the scheme - Preston-based architectural and planning specialists Cassidy + Ashton - said that “exceptionally high-quality design” had ensured that the place of worship would be appropriate for its proposed location at one of the busiest junctions in Preston.

Christiaan Zwart told the final day of the inquiry proceedings: “The development would simply be a brilliant place of worship, in the form of a mosque, for a great city - bold yet subtle [and one] that would result in social inclusion and cohesion.

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“That is sustainable development at its very best. [The] economic, social and environmental, intertwined for the future.”

The site is designated as open countryside, putting it in conflict with both Preston and Central Lancashire-wide planning policies that would not usually permit the proposed type of development on such a plot.

However, in February, members of Preston City Council’s planning committee gave the go-ahead to the scheme after the authority's planning officers said that the balance had been tipped in favour of it by other material considerations - such as a policy to ensure the provision of community facilities.

Representing the city council at the inquiry, barrister Piers Riley-Smith suggested that the mosque would bring a range of benefits to Preston beyond meeting the need for a new place of worship.

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“This is a scheme which the council welcomes at the gateway to the city of Preston. It would provide a landmark, telling those arriving that this is a city proud of its heritage, its socially diverse and inclusive community and its outstandingly designed and sustainable built form,” Mr. Riley Smith said.

He added that the intention to open up the building for general community use would encourage the “engagement of people of different faiths”.

Meanwhile, Mr. Zwart stressed that there was only “one community” in Preston - and said the fact that members of it had felt able to put their opposing views about the mosque during the inquiry was an “important feature of social cohesion”.

Nevertheless, the entrenched divisions between the parties over the merits of the mosque on the suggested site remained on display right to the end of the inquiry.

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Peter Black said that the adequacy of the car parking arrangements was based on assumptions that a “heroically high level” of travel to the building would be done in shared cars or on foot.

“From south of the M55, where most of the demand will arise, a walking route would require a tortuous and unpleasant crossing under the [motorway], “ Mr. Black said.

He also claimed that “heartfelt“ evidence given by members of the Muslim community about the need for a new mosque in the Broughton parish area was nevertheless “anecdotal” - and appealed to the inspector to make his recommendation on the basis of Broughton, Preston and Central Lancashire planning policies.

“Nothing that we have heard has changed our opinion that this is speculative application on a piece of land in designated countryside that the promoters happen to own,” Mr. Black added.

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Christiaan Zwart countered that the car park management plan for the mosque represented a responsible approach to mitigating a potential problem - and claimed that there was “a latent, but now patent need for a mosque in north Preston”.

The inquiry heard that there were 311 Muslim households in the vicinity for which the Brick Veil Mosque would become their nearest place of worship.

Mr. Zwart also said Broughton Parish Council could not try to import “through the back door” policies into its own neighbourhood plan which were not expressly referred to in the document.

He added: “We've got a neighbourhood plan which has an inordinate amount of reason and justification, but not very many policies.”

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The barrister also accused the parish authority of including unsupported “assertions” in its closing statement - and urged the inspector to fact check them before relying on their accuracy.

Darren Hendley will now write a report setting out his recommendation - and the reasons for it - to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, a post currently filled by Greg Clark MP after Boris Johnson sacked Michael Gove last month shortly before announcing his own resignation.

The minister, who is not obliged to follow the inspector's recommendation, is expected to make their decision before the end of the year.

The application for the mosque was ‘called in’ - giving the government the final say over the matter - after representations from Wyre and Preston North MP Ben Wallace and Preston city councillor Graham Jolliffe following the authority’s approval of the plans earlier this year.

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