Temporary mosque plans approved

Once the building work is complete, there will be extra classrooms, a new kitchen and office space

Plans for a temporary mosque to be installed while a new permanent place of worship is rebuilt in Wakefield have been approved.

The Jamia Masjid Swafia, Park Hill Lane, Eastmoor, is set to be demolished, after Wakefield Council officers agreed for a new two-storey building on the site in 2023.

Once constructed, it will double the space available at the site, including extra classrooms, a new kitchen and office space for the almost 250 students and 15 teachers that attend.

Plans to install temporary buildings on the site's car park were agreed to provide space for the community during the building project.

The Jamia Masjid Swafia was the city’s first purpose-built mosque when it opened in the early 1980s.

A report to the council said the Masjid had always "been run, maintained and funded for by the local Wakefield Muslim community", but the community had grown in size and the new building would help them "look to the future".

'Benefit future generations'

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the mosque committee and trustees initially considered building an extension but it was “deemed more cost effective” to knock it down and build a replacement.

“The dream is not to just create a Masjid, but to create a ‘hub’ where our community can come to learn about Islam, seek help and advice, a place where young people can come and escape from the societal problems that are affecting the youth of today.

“Moving forward, we need to think about how the Masjid can grow and benefit the future generations and the wider community for many years to come.”

The report said the temporary buildings would reduce the number of car parking spaces at the site from 40 to 28.

A council highways development officer said the reduction was “unlikely to result in a material increase in traffic generation or parking demand”.

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