Calls to stop Kent pub being converted into mosque
Plans to convert a Victorian pub into a mosque has ignited a debate among residents.
A charity has applied to change The Peacock in Gravesend, Kent, into a mosque six months after a similar application was denied.
The pub closed its doors for the final time on Jan 1 last year after being bought by the Al-Haqq Academy charity, having been on the market for four years.
It wants to transform the pub into a mosque with community and religious services, including a prayer hall, a food bank and a youth club, but the plans have prompted concern among the town's residents.
Few pubs left
'Pubs in the borough need better protection from redevelopment,' one said. 'Too many pubs have been lost to fires, demolition and unsuitable conversion. The few pubs we have left need to be protected as assets of the community to prevent further loss.
'Pubs are still viable business when run well and with the right landlord.'
Objecting to the first application last year, another resident said: 'Not needed [in] this area – too busy and we don't need a mosque or Islamic centre.
'They already have two mosques, why do they want a third.'
Other common issues included traffic, parking and noise in refurbishing the 'beautiful historic landmark'.
Another said: 'It would be a great loss to see the namesake of Peacock Street removed and the grand peacock bird sign changed.'
One concerned resident said the town was 'falling apart' after the closure of many shops and pubs in recent years and that a mosque would be 'detrimental' and the 'last thing' needed in the area.
Gravesham borough council refused proposals to change the pub into a mosque by saying it would be 'inappropriate'.
There had been 23 objections from residents who said the conversion would be a 'great loss' for the community, amid concerns around parking, noise pollution and others who pointed out separate Muslim places of worship in close proximity.
There have been 23 objections from residents who say it would be a 'great loss'
Despite more than 100 supporting comments, the council decided there had been 'insufficient evidence provided to justify the loss of the public house in this location'.
Now, months after initial refusal, Al-Haqq has rekindled its efforts to turn the building into a mosque.
In its latest proposals, Al-Haqq said: 'There is a justified locational and functional requirement to provide a place of worship that meets the needs of the local Muslim community.
'It is a sustainable development which will secure the long-term social and cultural needs of the place of worship in the community and reduce the need for travel elsewhere.'
There have been 14 objections to the new proposals and 10 in support, as of Tuesday afternoon.
'The use of the premises as 'a building of social infrastructure' is not being lost,' the document continued. 'Rather, it is being replaced by another building of social infrastructure that serves the local community.'
In updated plans, meant to address the council's concerns, the charity said prayer timings would depend on the season, with Fajr starting at 4.30am in summer and 7am in winter and Isha at 10.50pm and 7.30pm.
The religious school, known as madrasa, would be held between 5pm and 7pm on weekdays and 9am and 12.30pm on weekends, if approved.
It added that the change would not cause an under-provision of public houses as there are nine alternatives less than a 10-minute walk away.
The planning, design and access statement explained that, according to the 2021 census, there are 3,326 Muslims living in the borough.
But there are only two mosques, the Central Mosque and Shah Jalal Mosque, which are said to be 'operating beyond capacity', which has caused issues with overcrowding and traffic.
In September, a separate application from Al-Haqq Academy was approved to convert the first and second floors of the former pub into a house of multiple occupancy (HMO).
A decision on the new application is expected by June 23.
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