Preston's Brick Veil Mosque: Decision to be made by end of 2022

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

A ruling on whether a new mosque can be built will be made by the end of the year, a public inquiry has been told.

Plans for the Brick Veil Mosque in Preston were called in in April.

Planning inspector Darren Hendley heard 50 hours of evidence from supporters, who said it would be a "brilliant place to worship", and opponents, who said it was too big for its proposed site.

The communities secretary will now consider Mr Hendley's report and rule on the plans by the end of 2022.

Preston City Council approved plans for the mosque, which would be built on a site alongside the Broughton roundabout, in February.

However, the decision was called in for review after opposition from Ben Wallace, the MP for Wyre and Preston North, and Preston city councillor Graham Jolliffe.

'A landmark'

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said that during a week-long inquiry, Mr Hendley heard claim and counter-claim about whether the scheme should be allowed.

Broughton Parish Council's advocate Peter Black said it would impact on the "residual rural and open character and appearance of the site" and could not be "an iconic structure that is also unobtrusive in the landscape".

He added that the proposed car parking was based on assumptions that a "heroically high level" of worshippers would travel by car-share or on foot and nothing the inquiry had heard had "changed our opinion that this is speculative application... in designated countryside".

Opponents claim the mosque is too big for the site, but supporters say it would be "bold but subtle"

Barrister Christiaan Zwart, representing Preston architects Cassidy + Ashton, said the "exceptionally high-quality design" had ensured its appropriateness.

He said it would "simply be a brilliant place of worship" and was "bold yet subtle".

He added that it would "result in social inclusion and cohesion" and the car park plan represented a responsible approach to a potential problem.

Representing Preston City Council, barrister Piers Riley-Smith said it would "provide a landmark" which celebrated both the city's "heritage" and its "socially diverse and inclusive community".

Mr Hendley will now make a recommendation to the communities secretary, who will make a final decision by the end of the year.