Joanna Sugden
An ultra-orthodox Islamic sect has delayed plans to build a "mega-mosque" in East London after the Government warned it could "raise tensions" in the community.
Tablighi Jamaat had intended to submit plans to build Britain's largest place of worship next to the Olympic site, this September. But the group told Times Online that no plans would now be submitted until next year at the earliest.
More than 48,000 people have petitioned the Government to “abolish plans for the £100m mega-mosque” with a capacity for 12,000 worshippers beside the London 2012 Olympic park in Newham, East London.
The Government said that the issue could "raise tensions" and did not expect any planning application to be made in the “near future”.
A statement in response to the petition, published on the Downing Street website, said: “We understand from Newham Council that there is no current planning permission or application for a mosque and Newham Council do not expect a planning application in the near future.”
A spokesperson for Tablighi Jamaat said that plans for the 18-acre site in Newham were being drawn up, but he added:
“There's no expectation of any planning application before the end of the year, because of the size of the application."
The Government called the proposed mosque, which would hold four times as many worshippers as Britain’s largest Anglican cathedral “controversial” and said it had to take into account the views of local communities.
“All involved should ensure that discussions are conducted in a manner that respects the views of all sections of our communities and in a way that does not raise tensions in local areas,” the statement said.Tablighi Jamaat's spokesperson said the group did not think the plans were controversial but admitted there would be a lot of public interest in the application,
"It should not be looked at any differently from any other faith building" he said.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Setback for Muslim sect's 'mega-mosque' in London
No comments:
Post a Comment