Plans for a 13-storey Albanian mosque and community centre in north-west London have sparked opposition from residents, with critics arguing there are already 15 mosques within a three-mile radius of the proposed site.
The redevelopment proposal centres on the UK Albanian Muslim Community and Cultural Centre in Queen’s Park, where architects want to replace the existing building, a former pub, with a 13-storey tower.
The proposed development would include three floors of prayer space, a morgue and a function room for meetings and parties. Plans were submitted to the local council last month.
The scheme has generated significant local interest, with 238 comments lodged on the planning application. Most of those responding have objected to the proposed development on Carlton Vale.
Among them is one resident, who asked not to be identified and told the Daily Mail: “It’s hard to understand how there is local need for a 13 storey mega-mosque in Queen’s Park when there are already 15 others in a three mile radius.”
The resident said the development would attract “hundreds, potentially thousands of people, day and night” for prayers, weddings and funerals, leading to increased “traffic, parking, noise and disruption to the area”.
“The proposed size and height of the building will dominate the area, and will dwarf and overshadow the charming Baptist church right next to it,” he added.
“The design shown on the application doesn’t fit in at all with the local architecture. It looks totally out of place both in style and size.”
Planning images submitted with the application show the proposed building extending well above the neighbouring West Kilburn Baptist Church. The development has not yet been granted planning permission.
The plans were prepared by architect Ayad Al-Tuhafi and first submitted in December 2023, with the objection period closing only a few weeks ago.
Planning documents state that the “scale, massing and townscape impact of the proposed building have been carefully assessed throughout the design purpose”.
Responding to criticism, Mr Al-Tuhafi said: “The building has been deliberately set back, with the cantilever commencing at the third floor to reduce the perceived mass of the building at street level, respect the setting of the neighbouring Baptist Church, and retain its visual prominence within the streetscape.”
Traffic and infrastructure have featured prominently in objections submitted by local residents, many of whom questioned whether the surrounding area could accommodate large numbers of worshippers.
Queen’s Park already experiences regular congestion because of its narrow streets, states the report. One objection pointed to the large mosque in nearby Regents Park, saying it attracts thousands of worshippers and leaves the surrounding area at a “virtual standstill on Fridays”.
Another resident, Angela Gluck, said: “The problem was not the purpose of the building or the religious groups. The issue is the impact on the existing residents of a building that will probably be open around the clock and will block light and attract traffic.”
The application proposes demolishing the current two-storey building, which is surrounded in flowers, and replacing it with a high-rise development providing communal religious space alongside “flexible community facilities”.
Prayer areas inside the building would be aligned towards the Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, following the direction of prayer for Muslims, known as the Qibla.
Local Conservative councillor Sapna Chadha said: “I fully support the right of every faith community to have appropriate places to worship. Brent is proud of its diversity, and every community deserves to practise faith freely and safely.
“This is an exceptionally large proposal of 13 floors. Queen’s Park already experiences serious traffic congestion, parking pressures and infrastructure that has failed to keep pace with development.
“Residents have been raising these concerns for years, yet Brent Council has too often allowed growth without delivering the roads, transport improvements and local infrastructure people need.”
Not every local resident opposed the plans, however.
Dan Coppel, who works in finance, said: “Whilst instinctively a 13 story mosque in north west London arouses concerns, the fact that it is apparently Albanian is important. As a very broad generalisation, Albania for many years has been a rare beacon of religious tolerance.”
The UK Albanian Muslim Community & Cultural Centre said the project would be funded through debt finance, donations from members and “support from UK based religious and Islamic charitable organisations”.
The organisation has occupied the site since 1996 and said it has “provided a place of worship together with educational, charitable and community services for local residents”. It also said the replacement building is needed to “meet the needs of a growing local community”.
A spokesman for the organisation said: “Traffic, noise and infrastructure have been key considerations throughout the design and planning process.
“Where potential impacts have been identified, appropriate mitigation measures have been incorporated into the proposals in accordance with relevant planning policies and technical guidance.”
Discussing the scale of the project, he added: “The design team and specialist consultants have worked extensively over several years to develop proposals that respond carefully to the site’s constraints and surrounding townscape.”