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Warrenstown mosque: an architect’s view of the complex that An Bord Pleanála has approved for Blanchardstown
Plans for one of the largest mosques in Ireland have been given the go-ahead by An Bord Pleanála in spite of local opposition.
The planning-appeals board has
said the Shuhada Foundation of Ireland can build a four-storey mosque,
community centre and primary school on the site of Warrenstown House, a
former HSE facility in Blanchardstown, in west Dublin.
Dr Taufiq al-Sattar, a
Dublin-based neurosurgeon, pledged to build the mosque in memory of his
late wife, Shehnila Taufiq, who died along with their daughter Zainab
(19) and sons Bilal (17) and Jamal (15) in an arson attack in Leicester,
England, in September 2013. Its tapering steel minaret, from where
Muslims are called to prayer, will be 29m (95ft) high, the equivalent of
seven or eight storeys.
The board approved the development
after finding that it would not seriously harm local amenities or
property or cause a traffic hazard.
Planning appeal
Fingal County Council approved the
plan last year, but it was then appealed by Patrick Regan, a former
local resident, on the grounds of noise pollution, traffic congestion
and lack of public consultation. A number of other locals lodged
observations and a petition; they expressed concerns about the visual
and aural impacts of minarets; excessive scale, overdevelopment and
unsustainable development; lack of integration with the local community
and creation of an exclusive community.
The council told the appeals board
that the minaret will not be visually obtrusive and that any potential
noise disturbance will be controlled by planning conditions. It also
said the Shuhada Foundation of Ireland has indicated that the school and
community centre will be open to everyone.
Plans for the development were
first lodged in 2016. They were substantially revised and scaled down
last year after the council raised concerns about the scale of the
development.
Multicultural community
In his appeal Mr Regan said that
Dublin 15 was “one of the largest and most welcoming multicultural
communities in the county and [understood] the need [for those
communities] to be provided with opportunities for worship”. But, he
added, “the large scale and size of this project represents a major
regional religious and cultural centre which will serve a huge area”. It
would create “huge potential traffic congestion” and parking issues, as
well as noise pollution.
“The call to pray can often start
as early as 5.30am and the last call to pray at 9pm, causing noise
pollution, with up to 150 worshipers attending at any one time during
normal day prayers, without the celebration of Ramadan and other social
events.”
The new mosque will be financed
from Dr al-Sattar’s family fund, his life savings and donations from the
Muslim community in Leicester. He also plans to raise funds from the
medical community in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
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