Permission granted for disused school to be turned into a mosque with classrooms
Permission has been granted for a disused school to be turned into a mosque with classrooms.
The Essex Street development, formerly home to Walsall Local History Centre, will also see the old caretaker’s two-storey house turned into a ground floor mortuary and first floor flat.
Plans for the proposal received seven letters of objections from residents.
Their concerns included parking, traffic congestion, noise and disturbance. Essex Street faces parking problems like many roads across the borough.
The terraced houses built in the Edwardian era weren’t made to accommodate modern levels of car ownership.
Due to traffic concerns, planning officers recommended the application be refused.
However, members of the planning committee pointed out most visitors would be travelling to the proposed facility on foot.
The application also had a strong case with bringing a building vacant since 2019, back into use.
It was heard at the planning committee meeting last week the internal structure of the building would largely remain the same, the external windows would be reinstated into a similar style and there would be no call to prayer speakers on the external walls of the building.
The proposed mortuary would be sufficient for small gatherings only and bigger gatherings would need to take place at a larger site.
The land backs onto the former Abu Bakr Boys’ school and the vacant school, which is currently boarded up, is a hot spot for anti-social behaviour.
Councillor Mike Bird was keen to point out that before its recent closure, it accommodated 300 children. He felt the current proposal would see a reduction in traffic issues in comparison to the boys’ school.
Councillor Aftab Nawaz moved to approve the application. He said: “I listened carefully to the arguments made, I feel like the argument particularly on highways doesn’t take into account several things.
"Such as the community of Muslims which would attend this mosque are within walking distance.
"Why would people travel to this mosque when they’re going past several mosques from their own communities? It’s like going past Tescos on your doorstep and going into the town centre Tescos.
“It’s not like a school, where students go at 8am and come back at 4pm.
"You go at 5pm or 6pm and do one hour. Those kids will, again, come from the local area.
“We need to take into account that it’s bringing a building back into use.
"There’s lots of anti-social behaviour that goes on in the school behind this centre.
"It’s not in use, people go in and take it apart and do what they shouldn’t do. This is bringing an old building back into use.”
Councillors voted unanimously to approve the proposal, against officers recommendations.