Plans include a sports hall, two wind turbines and a new mosque for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association (AMA) building.
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| Artist's impression of redeveloped Islamabad site near Tilford, with the new mosque at its centre. (Picture credit Sutton Griffin Architects) |
Source/Credit: Get Surrey | UK
By Henry Bodkin | January 30, 2015
A new mosque will form the centrepiece of a major redevelopment of a Muslim group’s base near Farnham, under plans submitted to Waverley Borough Council.
Islamabad, off Sheephatch Lane about a mile north of Tilford, has been a significant site of religious and educational instruction for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association (AMA) for decades.
Since moving in during 1985, however, the association has made do with a series of hut-like buildings dating back to 1939 and which are deemed no longer fit for purpose.
Roughly 130 people currently live at Islamabad, which is the regional centre for the AMA, serving centres from Tilford to Oxford.
The site is also used for accommodation during the annual Jalsa Salana, which takes place in Alton and attracts around 30,000 people each July.
Under the current plans, nearly all the buildings currently standing at Islamabad, which are mainly one-storey high, will be replaced by one and two-storey buildings.
These include structures for administration, classrooms, a sports hall, and guest accommodation, including for guests.
Two wind turbines are also planned.
In documents submitted to the council, the association says sports facilities could potentially be put to community use, particularly by Waverley Abbey Church of England Junior School, which borders the site to its east.
A new assembly hall will also go up, should the council grant planning permission.
Some 30 car parking spaces will be added to the present total of 69, although the association says the redevelopment would not entail a greater number of people using the centre.
An AMA spokesman said: “The existing buildings have been retained since their original construction, and although works have been undertaken to maintain the structures, they are no longer fit for purpose and provide substandard space for the AMA.
“The AMA fully intends to retain its role as a long-term custodian of the Islamabad site, and looks forward to working with the local community to deliver our plans in the coming months and years.”
The spokesman was not able to say how long the potential process of redeveloping the site might take.
David Harmer, who represents Waverley Western Villages on Surrey County Council, is enthusiastically supporting the plans.
“I think it is a very interesting design, with the mosque at the centre,” he said.
“At the moment it looks like a bunch of pre-fabs and is in need of redevelopment.
“I think they’ve made a decent job of the plan and I rather like it.”
Cllr Harmer said the association members at Islamabad lived very harmoniously alongside other Tilford and Farnham residents. “They are seriously good people,” he added.
“Their slogan is good will to all and hatred to none – they really live that, unlike a lot of people with slogans in religion.”
A probable decision date for the matter to be discussed by councillors has been set for March 3.
Read original post here: UK: Major redevelopment planned for Muslim group site in Farnham
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