Click here to sponsor a brick
Click here to sponsor a brick
Mount Vale,
Lowergate Clitheroe.
On 21st December 2006,
planning permission was finally achieved for a Mosque in Clitheroe,
after nearly 30 years of trying. We pray that the facility will be
ready within the next 2 years. For further information, or any
enquiries, please contact
sheraz@miec.org.uk.
The following section
preceded the granting of planning permission (pre-21st December 2006).
Background
 Muslims
in the Ribble Valley have been striving for many decades to
establish a place of worship for the 30+ Muslim families who live and
work in the area.
Despite
the fact that a mosque would simply be a peaceful place of worship,
the project has been the subject of intense controversy and debate
amongst members of the local community and for a number of very
different reasons. There are many supporters as well as many who object
to the scheme. However, much of the debate is unwarranted, and founded
upon a seemingly inherent misunderstanding of what a mosque actually is.
Supporters of the scheme acknowledge that a mosque in Clitheroe is
needed in order to fulfill the religious and cultural needs of the
area's Muslim community, and that it will ultimately encourage better
social ties and links across the wider community. It will provide all
people within the Ribble Valley with the opportunity to gain a better
understanding of Islam as a religion so that misconceptions can be
removed and people can learn to practice tolerance towards each other.
At the same time, we remind Muslims in the Ribble Valley to be aware of
their responsibilities towards protecting and caring for other faith,
and indeed non-faith communities, just as those groups are called upon
to reciprocate.
 We
believe that the benefits of having a mosque in Clitheroe far outweigh
the disadvantages or reasons that have been given for not having one.
Further, many of the reasons given against the scheme are largely
speculative and in some cases, simply untrue.
These are
just some of the common reasons for objections to the Mosque in
Clitheroe:
‘Mosque
would not fit in with the Ribble Valley’s rural character’
’House
prices will fall if a Mosque is built in Clitheroe’
‘Muslims
will come to the Mosque from Blackburn and Burnley'.
‘Mosque
will be a nuisance as it will cause noise and traffic congestion’
In April 2003, in partnership with Ribble Valley
Against Racism, a leaflet entitled ‘Mosque Threatens No-one’ was
distributed to houses across the town to try and dispel some of the
common myths surrounding the project. You can read this leaflet by
clicking on the link:
Mosque Threatens No-One Leaflet
Also, let us know your views on the matter by
filling in our
comment form or e-mailing us at
info@miec.org.uk.
Images
Key Contacts
Sheraz Arshad
Project Manager
Tel: 01200 422035
Email:
sheraz@miec.org.uk
Farouk Hussain
Asst Project Manager
Tel: 01200 422035
Email:
farouk@miec.org.uk
Clitheroe Mosque
Timeline
We have been trying to keep
a comprehensive diary of events relating to the bid for a mosque in
Clitheroe. It is incredible that Muslims in the community have
thus far been consistently turned down in their planning applications,
with the whole process of trying to establish the place of worship
dating back over decades.
Comments are
welcome.
---
18th November
2004 -
Latest
In the Clitheroe Advertiser
and Times newspaper, John Hill states that “we cannot have a dedicated
officer looking for a site for a mosque”. He went on to say that the
council has a duty to the wider community to prioritise its limited
resources. Despite numerous requests on the part of the Muslim
community, Cllr Hill doesn’t disclose who this dedicated officer is, and
how much time has been spent looking for a site. Cllr Hill claims that
the council has been working with the Muslim community to proactively
look for a site for six years. As Chairman of the Clitheroe Mosque
Project for the last 5 of them 6 years, Sheraz Arshad has never once had
contact from the council.
In the same newspaper, a
spokesman of the Clitheroe and Ribble Valley Branch of the BNP, Mr Ivan
Duxbury, says that his party want to hear Cllr John Hill confirm a
previous statement made to the press that he wanted a line to be drawn
under plans for a mosque. Mr Duxbury says “Is he (Cllr Hill) now going
to repeat that? We want to know if this is the end of the matter…”.
This clearly demonstrated that Cllr Hill’s most unfortunate and
irresponsible comments have given support and credence to extremist
parties in the area.
17th November
2004
Ribble Valley Tory MP
defends the decision taken by the Conservative councillors to refuse
sale of a small piece of the Kirkmoor Road site stating that the need
for elderly persons’ bungalows is greater than the need for a place of
worship for Clitheroe’s Muslims. In an interview on Radio Lancashire’s
Breakfast Show, he states that over the years Muslims have moved into
the town and are now looking for a place of worship, but that the
elderly have a priority over them.
This comment causes offence
to local Muslims who were born and raised in the town. Muslims may have
moved in to the town in the 1960s but it is their children who are
applying for a place of worship and indeed they are fully entitled to
seek a place of worship. The council behaved irresponsibly with the
present application and the expectations of a number of their citizens
and for Nigel Evans to endorse this view upsets many in the community.
Nigel Evans’ further comment that Muslims at least are able to pray in
the council chamber further offends Muslims.
16th November 2004
Ribble Valley BC Policy and
Finance Committee meeting is held. Over 60 people supporting the Mosque
bid, both Muslim and Non-Muslim, turn up at MIEC offices on Holden
Street to show their support. Along with the applicants, they walk with
a police escort to the Council chamber on Church Street to view
proceedings, in a show of solidarity. Many other members of the public
also attend and many are forced to stand outside the chamber in the
rain. The BNP stage a demonstration with about 20 or so supporters
waving placards stating “Vote BNP”.
Farouk Hussain and Sheraz
Arshad from MIEC each give three minute presentations to councillors. A
presentation is also given by a lady from a private company wanting to
purchase the whole site and Bruce Dowles, a local community member
proposing that the site be used as part of the local health centre as
well as a small Mosque.
Councillors deliberate for over an hour. After
lengthy discussion where Cllr John Hill proposes to use the site
exclusively for elderly persons accommodation due to its urgent priority
and to throw out the Mosque request. Coun Hill told the meeting: "We
have to maximise what little land we have for houses. We have a waiting
list of 102 people for elderly people's bungalows."
Cllr Stephen Sutcliffe, a
Liberal Democrat, proposes that the land should indeed be used for
elderly persons housing but that a small portion could be used for a
Muslim place of worship and a small commercial development, thus meeting
two of the council’s stated objectives and one of the additional
requests added on to the land sale since the last meeting. It should be
noted also that elderly persons housing was never an “urgent priority”
for this site prior to mention of a Mosque and wasn’t mentioned as such
at the meeting on 21 September when Cllr Hill sought more information
around the effect of a Mosque.
9 November 2004 (Excerpt from Lancashire Evening Telegraph)
MUSLIM leaders have reacted furiously after a
senior councillor called for a 'line to be drawn' under plans for a
mosque in Clitheroe if the latest application fails.
Council leader John Hill told a full council
meeting that Ribble Valley Council should stop looking for a mosque site
if the current application for
Kirkmoor Road is rejected.
His comments, that the search for a mosque site
had become a 'drain of resources' and was only important to a small
section of the community, have angered Sheraz Arshad, of the Medina
Islamic Education Centre, Holden Street.
It is his proposal to purchase part of a former
council depot that will go before councillors at the next meeting of the
policy and finance committee on November 16. A decision was deferred
during last month's meeting for councillors to order a report into the
social impact of a mosque on nearby residents. Any decision on the sale
of land is dependant on any possible planning matters being resolved.
The move came after a series of applications to turn the Holden Street
centre into a mosque.
Mr Arshad said today: "I am absolutely furious
that the leader of the council has said this.
"I want to know what he is drawing a line under
exactly. This statement gives the impression that the council has done
all it can to help us find a site. This is not the case; we have done
all the running."
Coun Hill had said: "I will propose to draw a line
under this and move forward if this application fails. The mosque is
important to a small section of the community, but we have to look at
the community at large.
"If we can't come up with an alternative site then
enough is enough. The constant search for a suitable site is a drain on
resources and a controversial matter.
4th November 2004
A
second report
is issued by the Chief Executive of RVBC David Morris for consideration
by the councillors in advance of the next Policy and Finance Meeting.
Interestingly, there are now two other requests to purchase from local
businesses, one for part of the site and one for the full site. Having
received abusive phone calls and criticism since supporting the Mosque
bid at the last meeting, this time the Chief Executive does not make a
recommendation either way. However the report allays councillor
concerns from the 21 September meeting by confirming that house prices
would not be affected and that the value of the land would not
depreciate if the land was sold in parts rather than whole. In fact the
report shows that the Council stood to make £15,000 more if they sold
the land in two pieces as requested by MIEC (see Chief Executive report). A study on contamination is not conducted but the
leader of the council dismisses this as not relevant at this time,
despite being the one who asked for it at the 21st September
meeting.
26 October
2004 (Date of Full Council Meeting)
Coun John Hill tells the full council meeting that
the council should stop looking for a mosque site if the current
application for
Kirkmoor Road, is rejected. "I will propose to draw a line under this
and move forward if this application fails. The mosque is important to a
small section of the community, but we have to look at the community at
large." Speaking after the meeting, he added: "If we can't come up with
an alternative site then enough is enough. The constant search for a
suitable site is a drain on resources and a controversial matter.” (It
should be noted at this point that contrary to John Hill’s comments, the
council has never made contact with the Muslim community to formally
discuss looking for alternative sites. All suggestions for sites have
been made by MIEC and have always subsequently been refused by the
council).
21 September 2004
Request by MIEC to
purchase a small portion of council owned land at a former Gasworks site
on Kirkmoor Road is brought before members of Ribble Valley BC’s Policy
and Finance Committee. Members of the community and the BNP turn out in
force to oppose any Mosque proposal. The
Chief Executive’s report that
members are asked to consider when assessing the request recommends that
the Council sell the land to the Muslim community thus meeting a number
of the council’s stated objectives. Having incited people to turn up to
the meeting to “make their representations” as “this could be the last
chance for a Mosque in the town”, the leader
of the council, Conservative Cllr John Hill woos the public with
grandiose statements about democratic process and listening to the views
of the majority. Clearly reluctant to give a decision in favour of the
application, he claims that there is not enough information available
and proposes that a decision be deferred until a study is undertaken
looking into the social effects a Mosque would have on the area, the
district valuer is consulted as to the value of the land if it is sold
in portions, and a contamination survey is undertaken due to former use
as Gasworks. The
Chief Executive’s recommendation is ignored.
In deferring the application to the next Policy
and Finance Committee meeting, John Hill tells the packed Policy and
Finance meeting "We have to take into account the social well-being of
the local community…that is only fair and right and we would do that for
any application to purchase land off the council." In response, his
opposite number from the Liberal Democrats points out that a recent
application for an arts centre on the same site - later withdrawn -
didn't need a survey into its social impact. He continues: "I'm not
certain who is the authority to give us chapter and verse on the social
effects. Councillor Hill never once brought up social responsibility
relating to the arts centre."
17 September 2004
John Hill states that the application to buy
council-owned land on Kirkmoor Road by the Muslim community could be
“possibly the last opportunity” for a mosque in Clitheroe. He goes on,
“It’s important that everybody is fully aware of the implications and I
would urge residents to make their representations”.
13 September 2004
Cllr John Hill states in a
newspaper interview:
“We have, with the help of the Muslim community,
identified a possible site for a mosque in Clitheroe. I’m not going to
say where it is at this stage because a report is being prepared for the
finance and policy committee which meets on September 21”. “We are
honouring our previously stated commitment to work with the Muslim
community”.
31 August 2004 (Date of Full Council Meeting)
Councillor Hill
addresses the Full Council Meeting: “…but setting all this aside, we
also need to foster good relations with ethnic groups and those who feel
they are in a minority and those who are disadvantaged. Already
permission has been given for the Council Chamber to be used by the
Muslim community for prayers and I am pleased to report Mr Mayor that we
are actively engaged in identifying a site for the establishment of a
permanent mosque. There should be much more about this in the coming
months as a report on the establishment of a mosque is to be presented
to the next Finance and Policy Committee (sic)”.
17 August 2004
MIEC
formally request that the council
considers selling a small plot of council-owned land next to the old
Gasworks site on Kirkmoor Road.
11 August 2004
Farouk Hussain and Sheraz Arshad have a
meeting with Dave Morris, Chief Executive of RVBC at his office on
Church Walk. This is concluded with a site visit to Kirkmoor Road.
Dave Morris promises that he will discuss the matter with John Hill,
leader of the Council and Frank Dyson, Shadow Leader.
June 2004
MIEC Secretary Sheraz Arshad writes to
the Chief Executive of RVBC seeking permission to hire the Public
Chamber for an hour on Fridays for Muslim Worship. This is to both
provide a temporary measure so that Muslims can at least pray on the
holy day and is also to demonstrate to the wider public just how
peaceful and unobtrusive Muslim worship actually is. It is stressed
that this is in no way an alternative to having a Mosque as Muslims are
committed to praying in congregation five times daily, which is equally
as important as prayer on Fridays. The council agrees, but proceeds to
hail this as their own idea in the local news media, making it look as
though they are actively working to meet the needs of the Muslim
community. The arrangement though is simply that MIEC pay for hiring
out the chamber once a week as would any other community group.
April 2004
Appeal against a council decision to not
allow a mosque at Holden Street is rejected by the
Government's planning inspector Mr. Sean Slack. The reasons cited for
refusal make little or no reference to the material points highlighted
in the
Trustees’ Response to the LPA and Third Party Correspondence thus
instilling little confidence amongst some members in the credibility of
the deliberations. The Inspector also misunderstands the application
when reaching his decision by claiming that the application is also for
an Islamic education centre (this usage is already permitted) and
therefore may have improperly considered capacity over and above the
actual numbers that would have used the facility in reaching his
decision. The main concern is around use up until 11:00pm. It is
within the capacity of the Inspector's powers to make this an earlier
time. Instead he chooses to reject the application.
February 2004
Following receipt of the Local Planning
Authority's case against the Appeal and copies of third party
representations, the Trustees are invited to provide comments on the
material presented. The LPA's case and third party representations both
for and against the proposal can be viewed at Ribble Valley Borough
Council offices on Church Walk, Clitheroe.
November 2003
Application is submitted to HM Planning
Inspectorate appealing against the decision given by RVBC Planning and
Development Committee.
July 2003
Application for Mosque at Holden Street is assessed by Ribble Valley
Borough Council's Planning and Development Committee in the RVBC Council
Chamber. The decision is split neatly amongst party lines, with the
eight majority Conservative councillors voting against the application
and the five Liberal Democrat members voting in favour, affirming the
fears of the applicants that the application might be turned into a
'political football' rather than assessed impartially on planning
merits. The grounds given for refusal are that potential noise and
disturbance in the late summer months might impact on residential
amenity, despite the very small capacity and significant noise reduction
measures proposed, as well as the 11:00pm restriction throughout the
year.
June 2003
Application for Mosque at Holden Street
is submitted to Ribble Valley Borough Council with times of use
restricted to 8:00am-11:00pm. The application addresses the concerns of
HM Government Planning Inspectorate. As the government’s Planning
Inspectorate have stated that traffic and parking are not areas which
warrant planning permission to be refused, and taking into account the
proposed restricted times for use, there are seemingly no grounds upon
which the application can be refused
May 2003
Appeal for a mosque at Holden Street is dismissed by HM Government
Planning Inspectorate, namely on the grounds that potential noise
generated in the peak summer months by around 3 to 4 users at early
morning prayer might disrupt residential amenity. It is acknowledged
that noise is not an issue inside the building and the concern centres
on the perceived possibility of people talking loudly and
opening/closing doors. The Inspector acknowledges that objections
raised by the local planning authority around traffic congestion and
parking do not warrant planning permission being refused on that basis.
April 2003
More than 10 members of the Muslim and
non-Muslim community fill out Lancashire Constabulary Self-Reporting
Forms reporting the incidents of racial abuse at the 18 March appeal
hearing. MIEC lodge a complaint against the lack of action taken by the
police through the Commission for Racial Equality.
27 March 2003
Inspector Bob Ford of Clitheroe Police
states in the local newspaper that nothing was said or done at the
meeting on 18 March 2003 that warranted any further action
being taken.
18 March 2003
Hearing by HM Planning Inspectorate is
conducted in the RVBC Council Chamber in Clitheroe. Close to 100
members of the public attend to voice support/opposition. The hearing
is completed within 3 hours and, following a site visit by the Planning
Inspector, attendees are told that a decision will be issued in
approximately 6 weeks time.
The hearing is frequently interrupted by
members of the public gallery shouting insulting and racist comments,
with some members of the public openly threatening to firebomb a Mosque
should it ever be built. Despite a number of police officers, being
present, nobody is arrested or even removed from the meeting.
October 2002
Application is submitted to HM Planning
Inspectorate appealing against the decision given by RVBC Planning and
Development Committee.
16 May 2002
Application assessed by Ribble Valley
Borough Council's Planning and Development Committee in the RVBC Council
Chamber. The application has Planning Officer and Chief Executive
recommendation for approval. Despite no objections having been raised
by the County Surveyor and Environment Directorate, Tory and Lib Dem
councillors vote along party political lines, 6:5 against the
application respectively.
April 2002
Clitheroe Town Council approves the
planning application, acknowledging the fact that no public body
consulted by the borough council raised any objections.
7 February 2002
Third application is submitted to Ribble
Valley Borough Council for a small extension to side of Medina Islamic
Education Centre on 26 Holden Street to form a Mosque. Trustees
recognise that application will more than likely be rejected
despite recommendation for approval (based on response to previous
applications) but need to follow the process to gain leave to appeal.
This application is really a formality due to the RVBC administrative
error negating the previous leave to appeal granted following refusal of
the second application.
21 April 2000
Chairman of the Medina Islamic Education
Centre Mr Hajji Mohammed Arshad, the leading light in trying to
establish the first Ribble Valley mosque, dies in hospital following an
unsuccessful operation to remove a brain tumor.
November 1999
Second application assessed by Ribble
Valley Borough Council’s Planning and Development Committee in the RVBC
Council Chamber. Despite an Officer recommendation for approval, the
application is rejected citing traffic and noise congestion as
‘potential’ problems. Traffic calming and sound proofing measures are
addressed in the application despite the fact that capacity at the
mosque would be approx 15 people. Committee rejects the application 6:5
(the deciding vote against the application being cast by the Chairman of
the committee Cllr Richard Sherras).
May 1999
Clitheroe Town Council approves the
planning application, retaining the right to withdraw consent should
problems arise.
March 1999
Second application is submitted to
Ribble Valley Borough Council for a small extension to side of Medina
Islamic Education Centre on 26 Holden Street to form a Mosque.
16 July 1998
Application assessed by Ribble Valley
Borough Council’s Planning and Development Committee in the RVBC Council
Chamber. Petitions are acknowledged both in favour and against the
application and there is a high turnout in the public gallery. Planning
officers recommend that the application is rejected on the grounds that
it will cause increased traffic and noise congestion. The
committee rejects the application for this reason, adding that the
mosque would be ‘unneighbourly’
16 June 1998
The application for a Mosque at Holden
Street is brought before the Ribble Valley Borough Council’s Planning
and Development Committee. A decision is held off as members opt to
visit a mosque in Blackburn in order to allow them to make “a better
informed decision”.
23 April 1998
Application by Langtree Homes to Ribble
Valley Borough Council seeking planning permission to develop 39 houses
on former industrial site adjacent to 26 Holden Street site approved.
There are no objections raised, despite previous refusals for a Mosque
at 26 Holden Street having been rejected largely due to the concerns
raised over the “congestion” and lack of highway capacity to deal with
extra traffic flow.
14 April 1998
An application is submitted to Ribble
Valley Borough Council for a small extension to side of Medina Islamic
Education Centre on 26 Holden Street to form a Mosque.
26 February 1998
Application submitted by Langtree Homes
to Ribble Valley Borough Council seeking planning permission to develop
39 houses on former industrial site adjacent to 26 Holden Street site.
February 1998
Medina Islamic Education Centre
officially constituted and registered with Charity Commission.
11 September 1997
Application for change of use at 26
Holden Street, Clitheroe from residential dwelling to Islamic Education
Centre approved with conditions. Hours of use restricted to 09:00 to
19:30 Monday to Friday.
22 May 1997
Application submitted to Ribble Valley
Borough Council for change of use at 26 Holden Street, Clitheroe from
residential dwelling to Islamic Education Centre
1979 – 1997
A number of applications are made to
RVBC for a mosque, all of which are turned down. Details on these
applications are available on public record at the Planning and
Development Department at RVBC.
|
