Mosque expansion approved
PLANS to expand a Cardiff mosque have been given the go-ahead despite objections over traffic and noise.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Association has been full granted planning permission to turn a former office block in Sanatorium Road, Canton – where it currently meets – into a two-storey mosque.
The new mosque will have a community hall, minaret, dome and Imam’s residence after Cardiff council’s Cabinet gave the green light to the scheme.
Cardiff council received 58 letters and a petition with more than 500 signatures objecting to the development, citing issues around traffic and parking.
Councillors Stephen Cunnah, Susan Elsmore and Ramesh Patel also raised concerns about the scheme.
Councillor Patel told the planning committee on Thursday, March 15: “Residents believe this development will create even further parking and traffic issues in this already congested site. This extremely large development will in our view gridlock the area which is already at saturation point.”
Councillor Frank Jacobsen was among the committee members who spoke against the application.
He said: “It’s a beautiful building, it looks wonderful. But it’s in the wrong place, I’m afraid. You will not find anywhere to park in that area.
“They have got a community there – they organise celebrations twice a year. There are 161 members and there are 14 car spaces.
“I can see nothing but mayhem and panic on the streets at these times.”
Despite the concerns, the planning committee approved the application – with five councillors voting to approve the plans, and two voting against.
Speaking after the approval, Sean Tickle – director of Rolfe Judd Planning – said on behalf of The Ahmadiyya Muslim Association: “We have worked very hard with the council to look at the potential impact of what is a relatively modest building. The impact on parking and traffic movement in the area will actually be quite minimal.
“The building the community is using as a mosque now is a former industrial building. What the AMA is keen to do is provide an attractive building on all its sites, which fit, they believe, in terms of the context of the surroundings.
“We think it will make a fantastic addition to this area and hopefully be a feature for the community. They say this is not just a facility for them, but for the wider community.”