Preston: Public inquiry begins into mosque plan

The design of the mosque was chosen in a Royal Institute of British Architects competition

Supporters and opponents of a proposed new mosque in Lancashire each claimed planning policy was on their side on the first day of a public inquiry.

The hearing heard claims of disputes over the need for the place of worship on the outskirts of Preston.

If given the go-ahead, the Brick Veil Mosque will be built on land alongside the Broughton roundabout.

More than 24 people spoke at the opening of the inquiry into the plans at Preston Town Hall on Tuesday.

Preston City Council's planning committee granted permission for the building, at the junction of the A6, M55 and M6, after its design was chosen in a Royal Institute of British Architects competition in February.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the inquiry is taking place after Wyre and Preston North MP Ben Wallace and a Preston city councillor asked for the application to be "called in" by ministers.

The MP's senior parliamentary assistant, Alf Clempson, said Mr Wallace argued that the application "conflicts" with local planning policies and should be refused.

But city council barrister Piers Riley-Smith said while the blueprint for the mosque was at odds with some aspects of both Preston and Central Lancashire's planning strategies, it was a perfect fit with others - including the need to provide "community facilities".

He added that in "reality", it was bounded by the local road network and was perceived as "an elevated area of vacant grassland of no particular quality".

Barrister Christiaan Zwart, representing the applicant, Cassidy + Ashton, said the mosque would be "supported in the public interest by the Secretary of State's national policy for places of worship in our multi-faith nation".

The council's barrister said the mosque would be on "an elevated area of vacant grassland of no particular quality"

Also speaking at the inquiry, Zuber Isap, from Preston, said it was "baffling" that detractors had suggested the mosque would affect the residents of nearby Broughton village.

He said the parish authority was "fearmongering…by claiming there will be a drastic increase in the levels of noise and traffic due to the presence of a mosque".

But Broughton Parish Council chair Pat Hastings told the public inquiry that while there was a need for a mosque, it was "in North Preston, not in Broughton".

Councillor Hastings told the inquiry the applicant had "not consulted with, or reflected, the wishes of the local community", but he insisted the authority would have helped develop a mosque if approached "right at the beginning".

Tina Murtza, who described herself as a "new Muslim" resident in Broughton, told the inquiry: "A mosque is more than just a place to pray, it's more than a place of worship - it offers so much more to communities."

The inquiry is being heard by planning inspector Darren Hendley, whose eventual recommendation will be considered by the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

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