Green light to demolish former Sheffield church and build a new mosque on site in Tinsley
Plans have been agreed for a former Sheffield church building to be demolished and replaced with a new mosque on the site.
Sheffield Council has granted planning permission for the scheme, which means the former Tinsley Methodist Church, on Bawtry Road, Tinsley, can be knocked down.
In its place will be built a mosque and community building , compete with a dome and minaret.
The former church is already used as a mosque, but the planning permission means a new purpose-built building can be built there.
Conditions have been imposed on the scheme, including that 18 car parking spaces must be available before the new mosque can be used. Plans show the mosque will be called Masjid Abu Bakr.
The approval comes two years after the plans were first submitted.
A council report on the plans states: “This time period has been necessary to secure an acceptable and policy compliant outcome, particularly given the scale of the replacement building, the sensitivity of the surrounding residential context and the level of public interest in the scheme.”
The church, built in the middle of the 20th century was described as ‘limited architectural quality’.
The new mosque will include a new main prayer hall, community facilities, and administrative areas, as well as a dome and minaret as architectural features.
Its design has been changed from the original plans from two years ago, because of some concerns by planning officials that it would be too visually dominant in the residential area where it will be built.
Recommending that planning permission was granted, the council planning report adds: “Through negotiation and input from the Council's Urban Design Officer, the scheme has been amended. The massing is now better articulated, the elevations are more structured, and the overall composition sits more comfortably within the street.
“The dome and minaret will inevitably give the building a stronger civic presence than the existing church. However, places of worship are often landmarked buildings. The important question is whether the presence would cause unacceptable harm to the character of the area.
“Having reviewed the revised scheme, officers are satisfied, that it would not.”
A heritage statement submitted by Masjid Aku Bakr Mosque as part of the application adds: “Our proposal is to construct a lasting moment for the community, a structure to be admired by all and nor just a religious temple.
“The proposal will reflect the Islamic faith but will be a building, we feel that will be admired by all.”