Cheadle Mosque set for approval
Stockport Council is set to give the go-ahead to plans for a new home for Cheadle Mosque and Community Centre on Green Belt land off Wilmslow Road.
The plot has been used as a mosque since the Cheadle Masjid [CMA] acquired it in 2004; the CMA has been attempting to redevelop existing buildings for some time to bring forward a new place of worship, given concerns with overcrowding and cramped conditions at peak worship times.
Stockport Council has been recommended to approve the latest proposals when its planning committee meets tomorrow, which will allow work to get under way after a series of redesigns to the project.
Initial plans were put forward for an extension but these were subsequently withdrawn; Zendium Design Architects were then instructed to draw up new-build plans, and these were approved in November 2017.
However, when a new architect, Four Architects, was instructed to take the design to RIBA stage four, several elements of the building were found to be “incredibly difficult to build in addition to being rather expensive”.
These included protruding windows, which created buildability issues; a “space hungry” main hall; and an “extremely large rooflight”, which is described as being “difficult to fabricate” with the cost “better utilised elsewhere in the development”. A curving feature wall was also identified for removal to save “significant cost”.
An updated planning application was put forward in August this year following a series of changes. This features a more efficient layout and minimisation of dead spaces, as well as a change to brick cladding.
The building’s position has been specifically designed so the prayer hall sits in the direction of Mecca, but the building’s position and footprint has not increased.
Recommending the scheme for approval, Stockport Council’s planning officers took on board concerns raised around the volume of parking needed for the site, particularly around Friday prayers.
Officers said: “The proposed development complies with the Council’s parking standards, however, notwithstanding this it is noted that parking demand arising from Friday prayers exceeds those standards, resulting in significant highway issues in the locality.
“The application is presented on the basis that the development is required to address issues of overcrowding and to provide improved facilities for the community and in relation to religious education.
“On the basis that attendance will not materially increase, the proposed development is clearly acceptable, however, there remains the opportunity through the provision of additional floorspace for increased demand to be accommodated within the development.
“It is considered that given the provision of additional parking, formalisation of the existing traffic management plan and introduction of a travel plan, all of which can be secured by condition, there will be no material harm to highway safety.”
The scheme has already been supported by the council’s Cheadle area committee, which backed the plans earlier this year. Stockport Council’s planning committee will decide whether to grant planning permission on 21 November.
The professional team also includes planner Paul Butler Associates; Zerum; Urban Green; and Hydrock.
Awful
By Ben
“Awful
November 20, 2019 at 10:11 am By Ben”
Do you mean the building is awful? In which case why?
Or do you object to the concept of a mosque in that location (noting there has been one there for the past 15 years)? In which case, in the absence of further reasoning, you risk coming across a tad Islamophobic, which I’m sure isn’t your intention.
By the light of the moon
Ben – why is it awful?
By the light of the moon
Terrible, just terrible. Time to sell up and move.
By John
John – why?
By the light of the moon
The CGI looks impressive!
By Construction Guy
“Terrible, just terrible. Time to sell up and move.
November 20, 2019 at 11:12 am By John”
Yes, John (and maybe Ben). We understand EXACTLY where you’re coming from. Moving is a fantastic idea, I am sure the local community will do better without your prejudices. Maybe go and have a beer with Farage.
By Not Sarah
Scheme looks fantastic! Well done all involved!
By Z2
A great improvement on whats there and good to see an expansion that can accommodate the growth in its use.
By Taxed
Let’s not accuse people of islamophobia just because of random comments you sad people.
Also, I’m pretty sure that John’s comment is sarcastic.
The building looks fantastic imo.
By L
I like it. Looks very tasteful.
A few racists comments in here…..
By ALL
Greatest concern is traffic & parking ever tried driving past before pray time avoid the place, its easier to get around on match day at Old Trafford. Hopefully the planners have taken this into consideration
By CBA
Hopefully, the new site will ease all the traffic that surrounds the area at peak worship times, which is currently a nightmare.
By JM
eh
By girfuy
Looks amazing and will be a nice upgrade for Heald Green, however its placed on a very awkward road for traffic especially when people are using the Mosque. There should be some plans to divert traffic so people can actually move.
By HI
Nice but is that playground and landscaping really necessary? The space would be better served as more car parking spaces – As the nearby roads are usually used as car parking causing a nightmare for local residents
By J
Greenbelt land? Surely a more appropriate site could have been found seeing it is an unessential building catering to a select few.
By Dave
Definetly time to move. It is a nightmare living on Bolshaw Road on Friday. Greenway is just as bad.
People coming from Alderly Edge,Wilmslow, Bramhall do not care at all about being considerate . Does the person telling John to move live any where near the Mosque?
I am a black social work so don’t call me racist to complain about massive parking problems on Friday and special occasions,
By Nora
Absolutely beautiful building. We
Used to live next door but one to the leader of the mosque on Wilmslow Road. A lovely man . All the best to you .
By Andrew Carr
Stop this extension permission now. It is disgraceful for allowing these roudy lots to get together in area causing huge discomfort to other road users.
By KK
Why are people racist complaining about the appalling road conditions on a Friday. When they complain about the traffic anywhere else are they racist, no of course not. I am sure there are racists from all walks and religions but for goodness sake dont make everything about race. Any fool can see the problems all round Heald Green with traffic why does a complaint only become racist when no answer to the problem is being offered. People need to get a life and solve problems rather than create them!
By W calver
Residents sent a 13 page paper to local Councillors and direct to SMBC in September commenting on the capacity, parking and traffic management issues which have been prevalent in the area for several years. The mosque is perhaps a victim of it’s own success as attendance has more than doubled recently but the impact – and associated risks of there being an issue – need to be addressed. As at today we are not aware that this document has been reviewed or any mitigations put in place. Yesterday we saw the Planning and Highways Officers update on their original report which did not see any reason to withhold permission. This appears to have been a desk-top exercise and contains several questionable statements. For example : when the A555 opens, traffic along Wilmslow Road should reduce by 10% so the risk of an accident from the parking or the site traffic management is reduced. Anyone living there will tell you that’s clearly not the case : yet the P&HO is happy to grant permission without reviewing the numbers. The mosque have been contacted directly about this but their responses are demonstrably ineffective with dozens of cars parked against SMBC’s own rules, illegally and dangerously. The planning application only promises ‘best endeavour’ to address this. If past performance is an indicator to the future then very little will happen as the mosque build capacity to consolidate to a single service (thereby doubling the attendance from the current split service). So, you know…genuine concerns…
By Heald Green
Who is paying for it
By D Huddleston
I simply cannot believe the comments ‘By the Light of the Moon’ and ‘Not Sarah’.
What is wrong with you people?
Stick to the thread and stop using anything to start spouting your divisive rhetoric.
As regards the building, architecturally it looks like a crematorium.
By Tute
Not happy about that the traffici is bad enough as it is
By Ian
Looks great! Yes there are problems with parking and traffic at worship times but surely if people were less prejudiced and allowed more mosques to be built, this would not be an issue. Good work and much better than the current ‘old church’. Cheadle mosque does great work in the community so good for them! Keep up the good work! (FYI I’m not a Muslim but I’m not a racist!)
By Richard
Wish we could have a better mosque in Bramhall I keep writing to the council but we are struggling to find a good building or land for sale so chuffed for the Cheadle green residents
By Abdul
Which Green Space on Wilmslow Road is to be used for this Mosque, surely not the park before
the Village Hotel.
By D Harrison
Britain is becoming more and more religious, with the number of mosques expected to triple by 2050
By PN