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| Muslim cultural and education centre rejected; Guildford | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Sep 27 2010, 09:41 AM (91 Views) | |
| Deleted User | Sep 27 2010, 09:41 AM Post #1 |
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Muslim cultural and education centre rejected AN application for a Muslim cultural centre in Guildford has been denied because not enough information was provided about how many people would use it and how often. The bid, submitted by Amran Choudhoury, was for a change of use from the tyre service in Recreation Road, to a Muslim cultural and education centre. He also applied to build a part two-storey, part single-storey side extension to the existing building, following demolition works. Mr Choudhoury’s agent was not able to confirm whether he would be appealing against the planning officer’s decision. Altogether 50 people wrote letters to the council about the application, 49 of which were objections. Many of those stated that it was nothing to do with the fact that it was for a Muslim facility, and that it was simply the practical issues surrounding it. A petition of 15 signatures was also handed to the council from people living in the Recreation Road area. Among the concerns were inadequate parking on the site and a lack of clarity about the nature of the proposed use. People were also worried about the proposed idea to drive visitors there in a minibus, as the applicant had not stated where any such vehicle would park. Mr Choudhoury said that the main use of the building would be to hold prayer meetings and for Muslim cultural and language education. “The sole purpose is to enable a better understanding of Muslim culture, language and beliefs,” he said. Place to worship Spokesman for the Woking Pakistan Muslim Welfare Association, Syed Hussain, said that people regularly went from Guildford to access support services in Woking, saying that may be because there were not enough support centres for Muslims in the town. “Here [in Woking] we have a multi-purpose centre, we provide lots of help with things like housing, and we do have people who come here from Guildford. "In Woking we have a place to worship, but I’m not sure about Guildford.” Mr Hussain believed that an education and cultural centre would be a good thing for Guildford’s Muslim community. “Obviously it is helpful for any community to learn about religion and culture, and anything that can do that is always going to be helpful,” he said. In his report, the Guildford borough planning officer denied the application, stating: “The design and access statement offers only a vague description of the proposed use but does not describe, in detail, how this use would operate and what range of service/facilities would be offered. "No indication has been given as to how many people would attend the cultural and education centre and the times of day the centre would be in use.” He said that the statement also failed to clarity whether the centre would only cater for residents from the nearby area or from outside Guildford as well. One neighbour living nearby said that the cultural centre simply was not appropriate for the area. “The main problem is that where the road joins Woodbridge Road there are quite a lot of takeaways and there is already lots of bad parking at that end, especially at the weekend,” he said. “To have a centre that brings in more traffic just seems absolutely crazy. It doesn’t matter whether it was Muslim, Christian, Jewish or whatever, this is just not the right place to put it.” link http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/s/2079007_muslim_cultural_and_education_centre_rejected |
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| Deleted User | Sep 27 2010, 09:57 AM Post #2 |
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It would start off as a "cultural centre" or "community centre" then become a mosque. The planning laws state that there is no need for any notification if a building changes from being a "community centre" to a mosque. That's the loophole in the law they exploit. |
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| Deleted User | Sep 27 2010, 10:05 AM Post #3 |
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I used to live on Rec Road for 5 years. The site that he wanted to build at would have been a nightmare. Rec Road sits about 10 minutes’ walk outside of the town and is mainly 2 or 3 bed terrist houses. The majority of people living there are young family’s or 15 polish to one house (I kid you not!!). At one end is Guildford College and the other a few shops including the tire place. The road its self is set between two main roads and often grid locked. Parking is by resident permit only. There is a big Muslim community in Guildford but not on the Rec Road side of town. Because of the University there is a large population of Muslims who follow strict Islamic customs. Often at the weekends you will get a stall outside of Lloyds TSB or the Town Hall on the main high street advertising Islam. As for a cultural centre on Rec Road, I can see the local residents having a problem with this. |
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| Deleted User | Sep 27 2010, 10:11 AM Post #4 |
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"Mr Choudhoury said that the main use of the building would be to hold prayer meetings and for Muslim cultural and language education." =mosque by stealth. “The sole purpose is to enable a better understanding of Muslim culture, language and beliefs,” We know ALL we need to know about 'muslim culture', thankyou. |
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| weatherby | Sep 27 2010, 03:33 PM Post #5 |
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I was only in Guildford last week, having a day out to see the cathhedral, castle and museum. Get a lunch cooked for me and do some shopping. I was thinking what a nice place it was, compared to much of east London. Keep it nice. |
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