A MOSQUE will be demolished and re-built three metres taller after plans were approved by Bolton Council.

The Ashrafya Mosque in Cannon Street, close to the University, will be redeveloped after its leaders told the council it was in a poor state of repair and in need of redevelopment.

The new religious centre will have a kitchen, mortuary, toilets, storeroom and madrasah, or classroom, in the basement.

On the ground and first floor the blueprint of the building will stay much the same, with an entrance room and prayer area, then a community and function room above.

Leader of Bolton Council Cllr Cliff Morris told the planning committee he understood the mosque had been there since the 1970s, as he was brought up in the area.

He said: “This mosque was one of the first in the borough — there hasn’t been one bit of trouble from here in any way.

“When they are pulling it down and rebuilding it on the same site, I can’t see why we should refuse it.”

Cllr Champack Mistry added: “This is an existing building, it has been there for years.

“It will bring a lot of benefit to the people who use it.”

When the planning application was submitted the council received 65 letters of support from residents living nearby, and one letter of objection raising concerns that the building would be out of character with the area and could lead to parking issues.

Overall the new mosque will be 3.3 metres higher, to allow the internal floor to be raised and make the basement usable, and 14.3m or 47 feet tall to the top of the minaret.

In a report to councillors by planning officer Jeanette Isherwood ahead of the meeting, she said the new building could become a ‘landmark’ for the area.

Her note said: “The proposal provides the opportunity to regenerate the application site as the existing building is in a poor state of repair.

“A building such as a mosque will by its very nature, function, form and design not reflect the traditional character of an area of predominantly two-storey properties, grid iron terraced residential and commercial properties.

“Notwithstanding this, the proposal has the potential to provide a new landmark building in the heart of the community it serves.

“A landmark building in itself should not be constrained to replicate the character of the surrounding area.”