Ifield Muslim meeting centre plans given green light

Technical problems could have played a part in securing permission for a house in Ifield to be used as a place of worship by the Shia Muslim community.
Permission has been given for Stafford House to be used as a place of worship by the Shia Muslim communityPermission has been given for Stafford House to be used as a place of worship by the Shia Muslim community
Permission has been given for Stafford House to be used as a place of worship by the Shia Muslim community

For years, the charity group Millat-E-Jaffariya has been trying to change the use of Stafford House, in Bonnetts Lane, to a flat and meeting centre to serve the community’s religious and social needs.

While officers at Horsham District Council recommended another refusal, permission was given at a meeting of the council’s planning committee on Tuesday (August 4), by 12 votes to eight.

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But the result could have been different if four members of the committee – Gordon Lindsay, Louise Potter, Claire Vickers, and Belinda Walters – had not been forced to abstain from voting because they briefly lost contact with the online meeting.

Christine Costin also abstained but not because of a technical glitch.

Work at Stafford House will see a two-storey extension added, along with a link-detached hall/meeting room, and a first-floor flat for the Imam.

The house stands on the corner of Bonnetts Lane and Charlwood Road and there were concerns among the committee about the traffic, which chairman Liz Kitchen described as ‘absolutely frightening on occasions’.

Noise was another issue.

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Last time the plans were refused, the applicant asked for an appeal. It too was dismissed, with the planning inspector saying the site had ‘the potential to result in intrusive noise’.

But Atif Hussain, speaking in support of the plans, pointed out that it sat under a flight path, with planes taking off from Gatwick every few minutes.

He said: “I don’t see how we can contribute or exceed noise levels that aircraft are already making anyway.”

There were concerns from Peter Burgess (Con, Holbrook West) about accusations made by neighbour Jeremy Mitchell.

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Mr Mitchell said he had suffered ‘four years of noise and disruption’ and been ‘subjected to intimidation and threats’, receiving ‘no help from the council or the police’.

Mr Burgess said the accusations needed to be looked into and, if substantiated, passed on to the relevant authorities.

Concerns aside, there was sympathy for the Shia community.

Toni Bradnum (Con, Nuthurst & Lower Beeding) said she had hoped to see ‘a little more compassion on this application’, adding: “As I understand it, the Shia Muslims are one of the very few religious groups in Crawley who still find themselves without a home after all these years.

“They do need somewhere to worship.”

Ruth Fletcher (Lib Dem, Denne) said the Shia community had ‘bent over backwards’ to meet the planning requirements and she felt the need for a community facility outweighed any harm done.