The plan to build Britain’s biggest mosque in east London has been rejected by London’s Newham Council. The Talighi Jamaat’s plan to build the country’s biggest mosque in Stradford, east London is in tatters after the council members denied permission to the proposed project.
The projected Abbey Mills Mosque also known as the Riverine Centre would have become the biggest Islamic centre in the UK and one of the largest in Western Europe. The new plan included a main prayer hall for almost 7,500 men, a separate facility for 2,000 women, along with a library, a dining hall, and visitors’ centre, eight flats for imams and guests, and tennis courts.
According to the UK’s census of 2011, the majority of London’s Muslims are living in the east of London with around 40percent of the population of Newham Borough Council are Muslims from the subcontinent and African countries
The Islamic missionary movement Tablighi Jamaat has been trying for 10 years to build a large mosque in Newham, claiming they needed the site to accommodate their growing number of followers. They currently use part of the 17-acre Abbey Mills site to house the London Markaz, also referred to as Masjid-e-Ilyas, a temporary hub which can host 2,500 people.
The Newham Borough Council’s committee for Regeneration and Strategic Planning voted against the plan. Councilor Conor McAuley said the plan was rejected on the grounds that the proposed mosque building is too big and would have an impact on important historic buildings nearby. He also said that the proposed land is designated for mixed commercial and residential use, there was not enough consideration for transport and it would not have led to more jobs and homes.