The Goalposts Move Again.

If you’ve been following this campaign, you may have noticed a huge change in the narrative by the Chelmsford Muslim Society. Currently the Planning Department at Chelmsford City Council is considering whether the use of the building as a Place of Worship requires the formal grant of planning permission.

For months and months the Planning Department have been asking the CMS to supply full details of their proposed use for the centre. Those details were finally submitted in June, and we used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain them, read them here.

We’ve created some images to help explain (click the link in blue to see the full webpage), pay particular attention to the terms used to describe the centre and it’s planned uses.

Let’s start at the very beginning:-

Launchgood 03/19 (here).

This page has been edited after posting by CMS

EID FUNDAY 09/06/19

Muslim Giving 08/19 (here)

Chelmsford Mosque 14/11/19 (here)

Iqra LEARNING CENTRE Fundraiser 16/12/19

CMS FUNDRAISING LUNCH 12.01.20

Essex Live 14.01.20(herE)

CMS Facebook page 14.01.20

Essex Live 02/02/20 extract from open LETTER (here)

Virgin Money Giving (evidence that the original post had been modfied) (here)

An extract from a meeting attended by CMS with Clarion gate management and ccc councillors, obtained under Freedom Of Information Act. 21/02/20

Evidence to CCC June 20 OBtained under freedom of information act. QUESTIONS FROM CCC PLANNING TO CMS

1. Up to date floorplans showing all of the ground and upper floors of the building indicating the rooms that you wish to use for worship along with rooms or facilities ancillary to that use, and the location of the room within the building currently used for worship;

See attached drawing for the first floor (NOT SHOWN HERE). The area marked in red is currently used as Buddhist temple including the outside garden space which was only theres. We plan to reuse the room for non-worship purposes.

“The two current ground floor rooms known as the “Dance floor” and “Members Bar” are multifunctional.  One is hard flooring and another is carpeted.  The dance room is used for various activities, including meetings, education, users vary from members to external visitors.  The Members Bar is also multifunctional for members’ only or special social events.

 These two rooms which we plan to use for predominantly (but not solely) by the Muslim community to provide facilities such as family events, ladies get together, study circles, library, religious and language education,  social gatherings, a meeting point for elderly to avoid loneliness, bereavement (wakes) facility and for prayers.  The area is multifunctional its primary aim is to provide facilities which we do not currently have in the mosque. We already have a mosque dedicated for prayer use therefore this is for much more.  We would not even class it as a Multi-faith room within the centre because of it’s multiple use.

 2. Information on any external alterations;

PLAN NOT SHOWN HERE

There is no plan for any external changes.

Information on the current use of the rooms it is proposed to use for worship and ancillary facilities such as for storage of footwear and ablutions;

 As the attached diagram (NOT SHOWN HERE) shows that toilet and ablution areas for ladies and gents with minimal internal changes and no structural changes. There are existing toilets and these will be expanded to include ablution. The ablution area will occur in the current bar and drink storage area so that existing hot and cold water and waste water drains can be utilised with no change to the floor space for users. 

 There is a small dry kitchen and a library area provided for social, bereavement and educational purposes respectively.

Shoes racks will be provided within the rooms as a cultural and religious practise to keep the carpet area clean.  We are thinking part of the bar member area will have hard flooring for potential tables and chairs and this area might have shoes for convenience but that’s yet to be decided.  That’s not to say the carpeted area would not have tables and chairs either but this would be with no shoes.

 4.      Whether the rooms to be used for worship will be self-contained with separate external access;

The rooms being proposed for community use will not be self contained, one room will have external access for convenience.

 5.      When the rooms would be used - the number of times a week/day;

These rooms will be made available for use at all times just like how the current Members Bar and Dance Studio was previously available for use.  Sometimes however there may be private functions held in this area just like how the Members Bar and Dance Studio are used for hire.

 6.      Information on who the prayer rooms are intended to benefit i.e. would it be staff/visitors to the premises who have come to use the leisure/social/sporting facilities or, the former and people who are visiting the premises with the sole intention of using the prayer rooms.

 The rooms are targeted for use for staff, members and visitors who come to use the leisure facilities.  But we will however have visitors that come to use the rooms for functions which is no different to how the centre is currently used for set activities within rooms.  i.e. when children will attend certain rooms for Youth activity.  However the rooms are primarily for the members only.  We expect a Play and Pray ethos.  We think most members will attend the centre for an activity and use an area for prayer when required. 

 Interfaith forums will also be held with all religious groups to promote harmony.

 7.      The anticipated numbers typically gathered for worship every day.

As stated above this to provide a range of community services. We are hoping different people will come and use the facility throughout the day like any other community facility.  The current mosque on average at evening peak time in a central location has 30 members.  Hamptons is away from the centre making it less accessible and is not a dedicated mosque.  We therefore expect numbers to be a lot less.  We think prayers will be associated to the members playing Squash and Tennis or other social or educational activity.

 We think Friday lunch time numbers however will be higher especially with the planned Café.  Friday is a Sabbath day for Muslims and we think more people will come because of it.  However the Central mosque in town will continue its prayers which are at lunchtime and this would not change. 

Essex Council Of Mosques 31/07/20 (HERE)

It’s clear that there is overwhelming evidence here, and a reasonable person can only come to one conclusion.

The first and only time the use has ever been described as a ancillary prayer room (for staff and centre users) came after our campaign drew attention to this issue. We believe this is a deliberate attempt to avoid a formal planning application.

The combined floorspace of the two identified rooms (the members bar and dance studio) plus the main hall is over 700m2, and is capable of accommodating 1191 worshipers. This is how we think the real layout will look.

The main hall has been used illegally for prayer for the last 6 weeks (since 31.07.20) ,with Chelmsford City Council currently declining to take enforcement action of any kind.

You have also to question that if the CMS are planning just a small ancillary prayer space, did they deliberately mislead their donors during the fundraising phase ? That of course is a matter for the Charity Commission to decide. You can contact them here.

Why on earth would a charity spend £2.35 million on a failling business, just to provide a small ancillary prayer space for staff and centre users ? And why would they plan to spend £65,000 providing very lavish ablution facilities, body washing facilities and carpets for such a small number of people to use ?

Let’s hope the council officials are not taken in.

UPDATE

The Planning Department notfied the Chelmsford Muslim Society on 22/09/20 that they will require formal planning permission to use the Hamptons as a Place of Worship