PLANS for a three-storey mosque in Great Lever have been changed to provide more facilities at the cost of moving some parking off-site.

The redesign aims to provide a "more efficient layout" of the services offered to the community, according to the latest application.

Under the new plan, most facilities would be provided within a similar footprint but the Islamic evening school, called a Madrasah, will mean 47 parking spaces will be lost.

However, the applicant says that the nearby Weston House parking area will provide 45 spaces to plug this shortfall.

An additional 38 spaces can be provided on busy days by using a managed stacked parking arrangement, increasing the total number of spaces to 175.

The application, submitted by agent David Cox Architects, states: "It is accepted and acknowledged by all parties that Friday prayers and the festivals are the highest peaks in demand for the site. The ability for this site to accommodate a high peak for parking is not deliverable and would create a large area of tarmac that would not be used for 95 per cent of the week."

The new Madrasah is intended to act as a "flexible space" to serve the wider community as well as acting as a school for a couple of hours each week, offering computer suites, study rooms and rooms to let out.

It would be used in the early evening when prayers are not undertaken resulting in a lower level of parking demand, according to the application.

Great Lever councillor Mohammed Ayub is not concerned about the new plans.

He said: “It’s not much of a change, it’s just a different design – the use will be the same. There are small mosques around Great Lever so it’s not going to be as busy as people think. I have no problem with it. There’s no major changes from what’s been approved.”

The owners of the mosque were granted permission to build a bigger facility on vacant land at the site in August 2016.

Councillors unanimously approved the plans following amendments to create 40 extra parking spaces by demolishing the existing mosque which is housed in a Victorian school building.

The latest application will go before the planning committee and could be decided next month.