Outrage as abandoned ‘super mosque’ becomes ‘eyesore’ for UK town | UK | News
Locals say the area looks more like a ‘disused car park’ (Image: SWNS)
Residents living in the shadow of an unfinished £6 million “super mosque” say a huge empty “eyesore” of a building has blighted their lives for almost a decade. People living in Gillingham Citycomplain about the partially built wasteland worship it is a blemish on the landscape, resembling a disused multi-storey car park.
The massive three-storey building near the town’s railway station would boast a 32-metre-tall minaret, a dome and prayer halls for both men and women. However, local people say that in its current unfinished and abandoned state, it resembles a parking lot that was previously in the area.
Some residents fear the building will never be finished (Image: SWNS)
Others complained that the empty shell towering over the town and people’s homes looked “ugly” and “out of place”. They insist that it be demolished.
Funders of the project from voluntary charity Kent Muslim Welfare Association (KMWA) say construction has been halted but funding is being sought to complete the project.
It is understood that a further £4 million will need to be added to the existing £2 million raised to take the mammoth project further.
It is stated that the work on the building, whose designs include a morgue, community hall and cafeteria, started in 2017.
NHS healthcare assistant Joanne Virtue, 57, who has lived in Gillingham for almost 16 years, said: “It’s an eyesore and has been for a long time.
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“If they’re not going to continue with that, they can put something else in there. It doesn’t look great. It’s ugly and it was that way long before Covid – for over six years.
“There’s nothing to say it’s going to continue. Either finish it or use the space for something else in the community.”
Luckily, he said, the mosque did not see his property, but one of his friends lived nearby.
Ms Virtue added: “He says it smells quite bad, especially in the summer. I don’t know if it’s from the sewage, water or something like that.”
“There’s another mosque down the road in Gravesend – about 15 or 20 miles away. I work with a lot of Muslims and this is one of the mosques they go to.”
Jane Liddiard says unfinished building is ‘a waste of space’ (Image: SWNS)
Resident Susan Warner said: “First of all it’s an ugly building. They haven’t done any business for a long time. I understand they’ve run out of money but it’s an eyesore.”
“It’s just sitting there doing nothing. It’s not nice at all. It’s awful and unattractive. I see it when I go shopping, but there are houses nearby where you can see it.”
“It resembles a disused multi-storey car park and was originally a car park. We’ve lost a car park and gained an ugly building and we have very few car parks in Gillingham. It may never be finished.”
The new super mosque is said to be necessary to accommodate the area’s growing Muslim population, which accepts large numbers of worshipers far exceeding the capacity of other venues in the vicinity.
Civil servant Jane Liddiard, 61, who has lived in the area for 12 years, said: “I pass this stunning building every morning and afternoon.
“I’m very surprised they left him like this. I just think it’s a waste of money.”
Benjamin Giffin says money must be found to complete the job (Image: SWNS)
He added: “It doesn’t even look like a mosque. It could be anything, just a derelict building. It could also be an unfinished block of flats. It looks out of place. If they don’t have the money to finish it they should demolish it.”
Ms Liddiard’s son, Benjamin Giffin, added that it would be good for the local Muslim community, but that its current form did not reflect well on the town.
Mr Giffin, 32, said: “I like the idea and think it will bring a lot of culture and diversity to Gillingham. “But it needs to be completed. We need to find the money to finish it.
“It’s not looking good at all at the moment. It doesn’t give a good impression of Gillingham to people passing by. My mother complains about it every day. Muslim people I know want to get in there but when will it end?”
KMWA has been contacted for comment.
