Issue - meetings

Erection of outbuilding for purposes ancillary to funeral services.

It was RESOLVED: That the application 23/00365/FP be GRANTED planning permission subject to the conditions and reasons set out in the report with authority given to the Assistant Director of Planning and Regulation in consultation with the Chair of Planning Committee, to amend or add to the suggested draft conditions set out in this report, prior to the decision notice being issued, where such amendments or additions would be legally sound and most effectively deliver the development that the Planning Committee has resolved to approve.

The Committee considered a report in respect of application 23/00365/FP seeking the erection of an outbuilding for purposes ancillary to funeral services.

The Senior Planning Officer advised that this application had come to the Committee as the Council was the landowner and there had been more than 5 objections. The proposed application would be hidden behind the Mosque and could not be seen from Vardon Road. The objections received state that it had been built already but this was not true. Currently the Mosque in Luton provides funeral services for Stevenage.

The Chair invited Mr Leigh Risbridger who spoke on behalf of Mr Niall Thompson, an objector, to address the Committee.

Mr Risbridger expressed his belief that there was an erosion of the area due to the additions to the Mosque and believed that they had taken more land than what was given to them. He highlighted the traffic and parking issues in the area that had not been resolved and also raised concerns of noise.

The Chair thanked Mr Risbridger for his contribution to the meeting.

The Chair then invited Councillor Forhad Chowdhury, a supporter, to address the Committee.

Cllr Chowdhury informed Members that this building would provide important support and facilities to the Muslim Community and other communities in the area, and it was important to the Mosque that they promote harmony and community cohesion with other members of the community. The Mosque provided children’s education, prayers, and hosted students from schools in the area for Religious Studies. The Mosque had extended the original building with a 3-storey extension to facilitate different services such as IT support, women’s education, and elderly support. He noted the traffic issues, which was mostly on a Friday due to the main prayer, as the Mosque hosted people from Stevenage as well as other suburbs. Cllr Chowdhury informed the Committee that the Muslims had an obligatory ritual with funerals and people in Stevenage often had to travel to Luton or London for the facilities so it would be helpful to have this in Stevenage.

The Chair thanked Cllr Chowdhury for his contribution to the meeting.

The Senior Planning Officer informed Members planning permission was granted in 1994 and 2001. This was permission to use the Mosque for funeral services however there were no complete funeral services available in East or North Hertfordshire. She described the Islamic right of washing and shrouding the body in silence which took place in Luton, which had to be transported from Lister Hospital, before being transported to Stevenage for a funeral prayer and then burial in Weston Road Cemetery. The longest time a person would be stored in the building would be overnight as funerals happened quickly. It only had capacity for 2 bodies and would not be used as a mortuary. She highlighted that the funeral home Austin’s in the Old Town was closer to residential buildings and held bodies for a longer time. There would also be no noise as the services were completed in silence.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8