Muslims seeking retention of mosque in Cork

A local authority yesterday confirmed that it had received a planning application from a Muslim community after it advised the group that a suburban house it was using as a mosque could not continue to operate without planning permission.

Cork Corporation issued a Section 31 notice to the Cork Society of Muslims earlier this year, advising it that it did not have planning permission for its mosque at Riverview Estate in Glasheen.

The notice followed an inspection of the premises by planning officials after the corporation received complaints from Glasheen residents, said Mr Neil Fitzpatrick of the corporation's Planning Department.

"We issued them with a Section 31 notice advising them that using the house as a mosque constituted a change of use and that they must discontinue using it as such or apply for planning permission to retain it as a mosque," he said.

The society lodged an application on May 15th to retain the premises as a mosque and the corporation now has until July 15th to issue a decision on whether to grant retention planning.

It was also open to the public to submit observations or objections to the application, he said, adding that there are currently around 20 objections to the proposal.

Yesterday, the society president, Dr Farghal Radwan, was reported as saying that the society was seeking more time from residents to find an alternative location for the mosque.

"We hope that the corporation will either provide us with land suitable to build a mosque or with a suitable old building," he said.