Scaled back mosque planned for empty town site

Vacant land in a town could house a mosque once again under revised plans scaling back the size of the building.

The Muslim Federation of Cleveland wants to rebuild the Abu Bakr Mosque and Cultural Centre on the empty site on Park Road North in Middlesbrough, where members used to worship before the buildings were demolished.

The structures were pulled down to make way for a new mosque, which was approved in 2012, but did not got ahead due to "prohibitive costs associated with the design".

Another planning application was lodged after the previous one expired, but was refused in 2023. The development will be entirely privately funded, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The new proposals have been described as the culmination of a "long and extensive consultation".

Planning documents said the proposal had been "considerably reduced" in scale and the building will now be 2.5 storeys, instead of four.

Twenty-six on-site car parking spaces and 18 cycle spaces are also part of the proposals.

Additional off-site car parking will also be provided at Ali's Supermarket on Linthorpe Road during Friday Prayers, which will be split into two sessions.

Papers submitted to Middlesbrough Council's planning authority said the mosque and cultural centre had long been a "backbone of the local community, providing help and support to all members of the community regardless of faith".

The proposed building is described as "beautiful and elegant" and documents said it would "provide a striking landmark".

"It will complement the grandeur of the Victorian villas and the leafy environment of Albert Park which give the Conservation Area its character."

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