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Residents oppose mosque plan
TWO sides of a South Yorkshire community are at loggerheads after religious leaders unveiled plans to rebuild a mosque on the site of an existing place of worship.
Muslim clerics at the Marakazul-Uloom-Al-Islamiyya mosque in Ridge Road, Eastwood, Rotherham, have submitted plans to local planners to demolish their existing buildings.
They want to build a new mosque and teaching centre on the site, with plans showing a building complete with a central dome and a minaret, which will be about 52ft high.
But local residents are opposing the scheme, writing dozens of letters of protest and holding a public meeting to air their concerns about "abuse and violence" which is blamed on Muslim youths.
Existing buildings on the site have never been given planning permission to operate as a mosque, but Rotherham Council's registrar did formally certify them as a place of worship in 2002.
Current congregation members claim they require a new mosque because the current arrangements are "substandard" and "do not meet the standards of a modern teaching institute".
They argue that the site has been used by the community for several years and say the buildings are only used in the early evenings when the area is not as busy as during the day.
It is also claimed that the users of the mosque already have an unofficial "one-way system" for visiting the current buildings "which have no architectural merit and add little to the community".
But neighbours in nearby St Leonard's Road and Cottenham Road have opposed any extension citing "confrontational situations" between users of the existing building and local residents.
It is also claimed people have been "intimidated" and a meeting about the proposal held at the nearby Woodlands Club earlier this year heard about issues including "racial and verbal abuse and threats of violence".
A petition containing 74 signatures has been collected to object to the proposal and letters have also been sent to Rotherham Council protesting about issues including parking, loss of privacy and a lack of consultation.
The authority has also received more than 250 letters in support of the scheme, mainly from Muslim children who use the current educational facilities and their parents.
In a report to councillors, planning officers recommend that approval is given for the new mosque and say: "The majority of Ridge Road is on a slope and the buildings are generally of a varied height and architectural style.
"It is therefore considered that while the new building would clearly be visible on the street scene, its impact would not be excessively dominant or out of keeping."
Officers concede that there will be a "moderate impact" on homes in St Leonard's Road, but dismiss concerns about overlooking by making reference to plans to use obscured glass in the new mosque's windows.
The report continues: "The transportation unit consider that the implementation of the proposal is unlikely to have a materially adverse impact on highway safety."
The application will be discussed by Rotherham Council's planning board during a meeting at Rotherham Town Hall, which begins at 10.35am tomorrow.
Five members of the public have asked for permission to speak during the meeting, including three objectors, one person in support and one submission from the applicants.
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Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 26 May 2012
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Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
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