Third bid to build £1m mosque is launched
New application after objections to previous plan
A third bid has been launched to build a £1 million mosque by the Perth Islamic Society.
The group applied for permission to construct the mosque on Jeanfield Road for the second time back in June.
However, the application drew six objections from residents worried about possible traffic problems.
A society trustee then wrote to council officials in October requesting to cancel the application.
The society’s first bid sparked a protest in Perth by the Scottish Defence League in September 2017, where the chants of around 50 far-right activists were drowned out by counter-protests from around 1000 people.
The Islamic group plans to move from its current location - an upstairs flat on the Glasgow Road where it has been since 1997 – due to a lack of space.
Local residents say Jeanfield Road is already too often lined with parked cars to accommodate any more people wanting to leave their cars on the side of the road to attend prayers.
And one individual, whose family has lived on Jeanfield Road for the past 60 years, says the second application stated the society has over 700 members, but proposes just 22 parking spaces
However, the new proposals forwarded to Perth and Kinross Council suggest adaptations to appease those complaints.
The new mosque plans look to address complaints over the height of the building and parking and traffic criticisms.
Consultants for the Perth Islamic Society insist there is ample parking spaces in the surrounding areas for those attending the mosque.
A spokesperson has said that there is an informal agreement between the society and a nearby Lidl supermarket, and worshippers have been suggested to also use Dewar’s Centre’s car park.
These claims have been previously supported by Labour councillor Alasdair Bailey, who reckons Perth Islamic Society’s application provides plenty new spaces for parking.
Councillor Bailey told PKC in his statement: “I wish to offer my full support for this application.
“Not only will it bring some muchneeded architectural interest to a brownfield site which is currently tatty and unloved but it will also provide a purposebuilt place of worship for the community.
“I am pleased to see the inclusion for 22 car parking spaces and access roads which meet current design standards.
“There are no other places of worship in central Perth which offer this level of car parking and safe access from the road therefore I commend the applicants for achieving it within the boundaries of this site.”
Planning officers at Perth and Kinross Council are expected to make a decision in the coming weeks.