Taxpayers will pick up a £100,000 bill for the planning inquiry which resurrected plans for a Black Country mosque, it has been revealed.
See also:Your comments: Mosque gets go-ahead after appeal
The cost of the four-day hearing will be met by Dudley Council after the Government’s planning inspectorate overturned its decision to reject the £18 million proposal.
The authority was forced to hire security staff to police the summit at the inspector’s request - but will not receive a penny from Whitehall to cover costs.
The decision to allow the appeal for the project in Hall Street, Dudley, was this week announced after the public inquiry in June.
Dudley Council boss David Caunt described the decision as a “sad day” for local democracy saying it ignored the 22,000 people who signed a petition in opposition.
And Councillor Caunt said that the £100,000 bill rubbed salt in the wound.
“I’m very frustrated that a one man government-appointed judge and jury can turn up, listen to the arguments for four days and drive around the borough before coming to the conclusion that he knows better than the locals. The councillor added: “And then we have to pick up the bill for it.
“The security was requested by the inspector himself, but we have to pay,” he went on to say.
The council chief warned the price of the inquiry could even run over the authority’s initial £100,000 estimate because of the tight security measures.
Work on the mosque, featuring a 65-feet minaret, could start before Christmas. However the plans could yet be scuppered by a land-swap deal which states that the building must be “substantially” built by the end of the year.
Dudley Muslim Association now has outline planning permission for the scheme, but still needs to submit a detailed application which the council has up to 13 weeks to determine.
When the site was transferred to the association in 2003 there was a legal agreement that if the project was not “substantially” completed by the end of this year the land would be returned to the council. Muslim leaders have called for an extension to the deadline.
Mushtaq Hussain, secretary of Dudley Muslim Association, said: “We always maintained the condition was subject to us getting planning permission and having a reasonable and realistic time to get the project completed.”
20 Comments
typical racist idiots. should a church be planned it would be “lets get behind it” if its plans got shelved it would be “blame the muslims, illegal immigrants, the polish!” but if another set of followers wish to build a mosque it is seen as un-dudley?(!!!!) its about time we woke up and joined the rest of the bloody world, racists and christians are not the same thing. if another faith wish to revitalise our dying decrepid town centre then so be it! lets face it what land marks does dudley have to offer? the fountain? the market? or how about the ageing leasure centre which would be over shadowed greatly by the Mosques new MULTI CULTURAL facilities. You may not like the fact that people who are different choose to live here. you may be a bunch of racist idiots who feel it is necessary to bully people’s plans til you get your way. Fact is that the bullies did not win but those fighting for equality did. Muslims = Christians = Sikhs = Hindus = Buddhists = Jews. Where in the dudley town quota does it say we are nothing more than a bunch of Christian preeching bible bashing racists? our streets are full of crime are full of intimidation thugs and yobs. Hooligans at football matches are always said to be the teenagers etc. Terrorists are always said to be muslim. Fact is the majority of the time we are wrong to judge others because of appearence and faith. just because its a mosque doesnt mean its a brewing place for trouble. just think if the plans do go ahead and it is built, would you choose to ignore the growing revitalised dudley and wish for a “simpler time” where only white christains walked the streets in suitable clothing on a sunday heading for church?
embrace change, why bother fighting something you cannot beat? england is a massive society of varying cultrues and skin colours. deal with it.
What I find astounding is that the wishes of the people haven’t been taken into consideration in respect to the building of yet another mosque. 23000 people voted ‘NO’ and still the go ahead has been given.
What a pyrrhic for the Muslims of Dudley. Yes you have your mosque. You’ve screamed and protested all the way and now you have won. Why Baggie boy apes the faithful in claiming that the mosques will be a multi cultural and all will be welcome. But tell me will woman be allowed to use the same front door as men? When was the last time anybody saw a mosque been used by Non-Muslims. It just doesn’t happen and at a stroke the diversions between east and west have been widened.
Oh and just for the info, my first name is farouk and so cannot be the racist a lot of people will try to say I am.
Baggyboy its do gooders like you is why this country is the way it is!! Who says we want to be multicultural apart from the miniority or people who dont even live in the urban sprawl!! Go to any other country and people abide by the countries laws and democracy and dont take advantage, like all the freeloaders seem to do who come here.
Have you ever been to a muslim country because i have and there is no way we would be able to get away with our so called ways. so TELL ME BAGGY WHATS THE DIFFERENCE!
Why and enquiry when people have already had their say in an alleged democratic way. Seems to me this has already been decided as in communist countries.
I note they say there will be so many jobs made - wonder if these jobs will be offered to all cultures and religions?
Sorry but Britain is being destroyed by these repulsively large buildings.
Well said baggyboy34. the council could have saved the £100k by doing the sensible thing and approving the building application instead of pampering to ignorant racist views. Dudley Council should be ashmamed of itslef and start to repair the damage to community relations that it has caused. Alos why dont the so could counmcillors who supported this charade pay for the costs themselves maybe that way thaye will do the sensible thing next time.
Will the “MULTI CULTURAL” facilities allow women to enter wearing shorts and cut off tops? Will Sikhs, Hindu’s, Jews etc be allowed in wearing symbols and clothing of their faith? I certainly was NOT allowed into Birmingham Central mosques so called “community area” with a Star of David on display (on a chain around my neck similar to many Christian crusifixes) as I was told it may “cause offence”. Will none Muslims be offered jobs within the mosque? These are genuine questions that I would like an answer to from the people that will run the mosque as opposed to the normal “lefty hand wringers” that love to throw their oar in every time democracy is defeated in the name of “New Liabour”
Is anyone else on here that objected to the building of the mosque getting just a little fed up of being called ‘racist’?(As well as the other assumptions and name calling I have read) Just because people stood up and objected to the mosque does not make them racist! It means they objected to the building of another mosque in Dudley. It reads as though the few people that keep mentioning the racist word are trying to stir up trouble and of course - as we all know - thats called ‘aggitating’ isnt it? Anyone else feel the same here?…
David raises an interesting point about mosque, and also a confusion between the mosque and the community centre.
I’ve been into the current Dudley central mosque on a number of occassions with people of different faiths, displaying symbols of those faiths, with no concern expressed or even notice taken. Given this, there is no reason to believe it would be different elsewhere.
In terms of Jobs, I feel it’s fair to make a distinction between the mosque and the proposed community centre. Much as a church employees Christian priests, those employed by the mosque would be Imams. The community centre would presumably be another matter.
Steve
No Helena, to be called racist by the likes of Baggyboy is like being awarded a badge of honour. The racists (if one can regard the dislike of a religion racism - which it isn’t) are the ones that “…feel it necessary to bully people’s plans til you get your way”, and their supporters.
I was born in the area but no longer live there, so I am very open minded about this issue. It upsets me to read the comments on both sides as this doesn’t sound like the people I once knew and loved. I’m sure there is good arguments on both sides but these comments can only fuel the conflict and the system does not seem to help that either. Maybe this issue should be put to a referendum and let this decide once and for all if this is wanted by the majority of people in the DMB. This seems a more democratic way of doing it to me if not I fear that an old politicians “river of blood” speech creeps closer each day. Was he a Racist or visionary????
Shame on Dudley Council for wasting taxpayers money, no wonder this country is now pleading poverty, when we cannot look after the elderly or the sick but yet can afford to waste thousands of pounds on something that no body really cares. This is democracy, in a multicultural country. I wish to state that the Express and Star has totally been bias in reporting this matter, it too has opposed the mosque project. I am now boycotting this paper which should have reported on this matter from both point of views, shame on you Express and Star. I doubt that you will publish this.
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Baggyboy34, I take my hat off you!Spot On!
baggieboy34 wrote : Fact is the majority of the time we are wrong to judge others because of appearence and faith… Is this a case of do as I say rather than do as I do? You appear to be quick enough to judge those that have objected! lol
i think it is a shame that all of those people’s views have not bieng heard.
it is also a shame that the money can’t go towards refurbing old shops and buildings which scatter the dudley area.
Rah, rah, rah, stuff and nonsense, blah, blah, blah!
You know I don’t think people would be so against the mosque if it wasn’t for the fact that when it was first put forward the planners said they wanted to build a mosque that would change the skyline of Dudley. I don’t understand why, just because I have an opinion that differs from those who support the mosque, I’m called a racist.
Lets hope the community centre is for everyone because it’s going to cost a fortune to run for such a small amount of people.
Will people have to pay to used the car park? and if so will the money go to dudley council or the muslim association.