BOSSES at an Islamic centre in Accrington want to build a new mosque and community centre.

The Raza Jamia Masjid and Islamic Centre said its base, in Grimshaw Street, had reached capacity.

It has applied for plann-ing permission to build a mosque, with room for 850 worshippers, nearby on spare land bounded by Lower Antley Street and Grimshaw Street.

Planning documents said: “The site has been chosen to be as close as possible to the community which it is to serve, and it is less than a one-minute walk from the existing mosque.

“There is a great need to reform mosques, not only in terms of introducing bett- er governance, but also in terms of taking ownership of dealing with the real and difficult issues facing the communities they serve.

“This new replacement fac- ility will endeavour to tackle some of the social exclusion, and integration issues curr- ently plaguing society and will be a model for other cities.

“All the facilities within the new community centre will be open to the local community, irrespective of their creed, colour, or rel-igion and, indeed, the local Muslim community welc-omes the involvement of the local community for the benefit of integration, and better understanding of the cultural and relig-ious needs of each other.”

Local resident Purves Ali, who lives in Blackburn Road, said in a letter to the coun-cil he ‘fully supports’ the project.

“I welcome a new mosque and community centre, which I hope will benefit the community,” he added.

But one Dale Street resid-ent has objected to the plans.

She said: “The said build is too close to the housing estate I live on, and my house in particular.

“We do not want to be looked down on when sitt-ing in our garden, or have the noise from the mosque calling to prayer.

“It is bad enough now and it isn’t as near.

“It will obviously take quite some time to build the mosque, so we would be driven mad with building noise and all the dust and dirt on windows, cars, and the washing on the line.”

The plans are due to be discussed by councillors in the near future.