Stanley Road mosque in Oxford to get new community hall

Committee members at a city council planning meeting voted unanimously to approve the application submitted by the Madina Mosque on Stanley Road in east Oxford.

The freshly approved plans will result in conversion of the smaller mosque building into a three-storey community hall development including two two-bedroom apartments.

Proposed elevations. (Image: Oxford City Council)

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Speaking at the meeting, objector Michael Scholar, who is chairman of the Iffley Road Area Residents Association, said: "The site is already over-developed.

"The mosque was created from a family house on Stanley Road in a conservation area."

Mr Scholar prefaced his comments by saying the IRARA group wished to be "good neighbours" with the mosque as the mosque had "extended the hand of friendship" and so they were "sorry to be here tonight objecting to this application".

But the group chairman also raised some traffic-related questions around a potential increase in the number of people travelling to the mosque.

He said: "Because Stanley road is not wide and parking is allowed on both sides of the street there's sometimes much reversing and manoeuvring even backward into Iffley Road.

The mosque is on Stanley Road. (Image: Google Maps)

"The present traffic situation is not just inconvenient but dangerous."

Bosses at the Stanley Road mosque have said they intend to use the new hall, which is "only a little room", as a space for elderly people to sit in-between prayer times.

The space will serve as a "versatile sports facility, providing an avenue for empowering women from ethnic minority backgrounds by offering exercise classes such as yoga and fitness".

A transport report published by the mosque on December 6 2023 suggests the vast majority of congregation members live nearby and are likely to travel to the mosque via bike or foot.

The Oxfordshire County Council highways authority did not raise any objection to the development in relation to transport.

Cabinet member for planning, Louise Upton, who raised some concerns about transport, said to the applicant: "We would love to work with you on some active transport measures.

Louise Upton. (Image: Oxford Mail)

"All places of worship have these problems with parking."

Nigel Chapman, cabinet member for citizen focussed services, said he could see no planning reasons to refuse the application.

But he added: "It would be awful if having expanded the facilities it led to a deterioration in community relationships in this part of Oxford.

"We've got enough issues with community relationships frankly in this city at the moment for all sorts of other reasons, nothing to do with this application.

"It would be sad if this were to be added to it."

Nigel Chapman. (Image: Oxford Labour)

Councillors unanimously voted through the application.

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Scholar gave reassurance neighbourly relations were not likely to be adversely affected.

He said: "We are good neighbours. We mean to be and they want to be."

Mosque trustee Asad Mahmood added: "We want to keep good relations."