Decision due on plans for new West Bromwich mosque

The new mosque would be built in Dartmouth Street, West Bromwich, by the Bangladeshi Muslim Welfare Association.

Sandwell Council’s planning committee meets on July 24 to decide with the authority’s planning officers recommending the application should be approved.

The new mosque, which would be larger than the one proposed in 2011, includes a bigger main hall with space for 370 worshippers, a hall with space for more than 230 people, classrooms, meeting rooms, a separate female prayer space for up to 135 people and a mortuary.

Ten objections and a petition with 38 signatures against the new mosque were lodged with Sandwell Council.

A report, which outlines the recommendation from planning officers, said: “The approval of the application would correspond with the planning history of the site and provide a community facility of good design, at no significant detriment to the amenity of the surrounding area.”

The existing Jami Masjid and Islamic Centre on the corner of Dartmouth Street and Brook Street would close to make way for the new mosque. Fenced-off land in Duke Street between the existing and proposed mosques would be cleaned up and turned into a nine-space car park.

Only sixteen parking spaces would be provided for the new mosque with narrow Dartmouth Street, Brook Street and Duke Street mostly covered in double yellow lines and with very few on-street spaces.

Highways officers at Sandwell Council raised no objections. Reports included with the application showed that around 425 people were now visiting the Brook Street mosque – close to the proposed maximum capacity for the new mosque – and just over a third of worshippers arrived by car or car share.

The traffic survey also showed 113 cars parked during peak Friday prayers. The mosque had argued that cars could park on both sides of Brook Street – despite most of the road having parking restrictions – and Sandwell Council said the road was not wide enough for two-way traffic with cars parked on either side.

The council said the new mosque would ‘not improve’ the serious parking situation but would also ‘not make it significantly worse.’

Sandwell Council originally approved plans to build a new mosque on the land, which was previously home to the Hop and Barleycorn pub, in 2011. The project was eventually mothballed with the BMWA blaming the economic downturn for bringing the work to a halt.

The plan to build the new mosque on the land in 2011 came with a condition that the association’s existing mosque at 67 Dartmouth Street would stop being used to make way for the new mosque. This ruling was made despite concerns from neighbours about the lack of parking.

The council’s highways department said it had concerns about the new mosque – which would accommodate up to 340 worshippers – after they found that at least an extra 80 cars parked on the residential street at peak times during Friday prayers.

There were also disagreements about the design of the mosque – with the council’s planners firstly advising that it should not include a dome, which was then included in the plans anyway, and said a proposed minaret was too tall.

The council eventually said it was willing to accept a smaller dome which led to the plans being redrawn.

That was not the end of the row – with BWMA going on to Sandwell Council’s decision after permission was granted over the disputed use of its existing mosque. This led to an intervention from the then secretary of state – with the disagreement expected to be decided at a hearing by the government’s planning inspectors.

After the council approved the new mosque under the impression that the Bangladeshi Muslim Welfare Association would leave 67 Dartmouth Street, the association went on to challenge the decision saying it had no intention of leaving and would still be using its existing building for training, education and advice as well as meetings – but not for worship.

After originally choosing to fight the decision, the council eventually dropped on the advice of lawyers who feared the council would be liable for a “considerable” payout. The council eventually reached an agreement with BWMA which prevented the plans from being decided by the government.