Fight for new home cost Dudley Central Mosque hits £300,000
Dudley Central Mosque spent almost £300,000 in its failed battle to move to a new site in the town, accounts have revealed.
The cash included donations from the community to help draw up plans and pay legal costs as leaders attempted to keep their bid to build a new mosque alive by appealing against Dudley Council’s refusal of the project – but it ultimately came to nothing.
It comes as Muslim leaders said they were ‘disappointed’ by the lack of communication with the council over a new site since the end of the long-running legal battle over the land at Hall Street.
The fight against the council was led by the Dudley Muslim Association (DMA), which also ploughed in hundreds of thousands of pounds, but the central mosque, a registered charity, also helped by raising money.
Ammar Khan, a member and former treasurer of the central mosque, admitted it had been painful to see so much money go into the project and not be any closer to securing their ambition of having a new mosque in Dudley.
He said it was crucial a new site was found in the town but that no plans were currently being drawn up.
Published accounts showed the Dudley Central Mosque and Muslim Community Centre spent £141,113 on the ‘new mosque project’ in 2014 and £149,277 in 2015 as leaders battled Dudley Council in court.
Mr Khan said: “These expenses were done for the new mosque project in regards to planning approval, solicitors and legal expenses.
“It is a big disappointment for the community because Dudley Central Mosque is a charity.
“It has been almost 20 years of struggle and we are nowhere.
“There are no plans at the moment for a new site. We have received no communication from the council.
“We are disappointed but believe and hope the time will come to find another site.”
He added: “The current mosque is listed so cannot be expanded. The membership is growing and the mosque is very busy and difficult to manage.”
The battle over the ill-fated plan for a mosque at Hall Street dragged on for more than a decade and Mr Khan stressed any new site would have to be right for everyone to avoid another costly row.
He said: “There is no appetite for another battle. We don’t want to go into court and fight anyone.”
The saga over the mosque was finally brought to an end in 2015 when Court of Appeal judges unanimously ruled in favour of the council over its bid to buy back the land in Hall Street from the DMA.
