Plans for Harrogate’s first mosque approved by council

Harrogate Islamic Association have had a planning application successfully accepted to convert the former Home Guards Club on Belford Road into a place of worship.

On the approval of the application, the Harrogate Islamic Association said: "We are very pleased to announce that our planning application has been accepted.

"We are grateful to everyone in the Harrogate community who supported us, including those at Harrogate Borough Council who engaged with us regularly to alleviate any concerns during the process.

"We view this as a success for everyone in Harrogate, not just ourselves and we can’t wait to welcome one and all for a cuppa."

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Back in January, a number of resident's in Harrogate received leaflets through their letterboxes which said that they should object to the application because the mosque would “only serve one section of the community”.

The association said it wants to convert the empty two-storey social club into a space that can be used for religious, community and charitable events.

The plans for the mosque also state it "would not have an unacceptable impact" on the surrounding roads because it is near the town centre and there are excellent public transport links.

They now have 28 days to raise the needed funds to purchase the property outright.

A LaunchGood page has been set up to help raise the £200,000 needed for the project.

The association added: "This is just the first part of a long process.

"Once the building is purchased, we will need to make immediate repairs to prevent further damage to the building and then assess the renovation needs and further expenses.

"We hope to liaise with community and civic organisations, such as the Harrogate Civic Society, to determine how to sensitively renovate the building and we would appreciate any advice on how to make this possible.

"In the meantime, we hope this is the beginning of a deeper engagement between people of different faiths in Harrogate and look forward to continuing our conversations online and off.

"We are so proud to live in such a happy and welcoming place."

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