Mosque will be built after appeal triumph

A new mosque will be built in a Black Country town after a Muslim group won an appeal despite hundreds of objections, it emerged today.

The controversial plans by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association (AMA) to convert a disused warehouse in Vicarage Place were thrown out by Walsall Council in December 2009, despite officers recommending approval.

Hundreds of people descended on the town hall in opposition to the proposals and four petitions were submitted against the application.

A combined total of 848 people had signed.

Objections included location and traffic congestion, but they also faced a barrage of objections from other Muslims disagreeing with the Ahmadiyya interpretation of Islam.

The appeal, lodged a month after the decision was made by the authority's development control committee, has now been granted by government planning inspector Neil Pope.

Dr Azher Siddiq, president of the Walsall branch of AMA, said: "We are very pleased.

"We feel common sense has prevailed and the right decision has been arrived at.

"We need to finalise the completion of purchasing the property.

"We are not sure yet when building work will start. There is still a lot to discuss.

"It took some time to get the full appeal application together and we think there was some delay because of a backlog of cases.

"We are a small Muslim community, probably numbering about 150, and we don't have our own place of worship which is why we are so keen on this."

The group previously warned that taxpayers in Walsall could be made to foot a bill of up to £60,000 if the appeal was successful, but no costs have been awarded.

The AMA earmarked the town centre site after losing a battle to build a mosque in St John's Road, Pleck, following a wave of opposition.

Dr Siddiq said the majority of people would only attend in an evening and not in large numbers while car parking was available nearby.

He said they would encourage people to walk, car share or purchase a mini-bus.