Empty Gosport shop to become Islamic Prayer Centre under new plans
A former shop could become a place of worship
An empty shop unit in Gosport is set to be transformed into an Islamic prayer centre.
A planning application has been submitted to Gosport Borough Council seeking permission to transform the empty shop in Forton Road into place of worship and an education centre. The retail unit has been empty for a number of years, having previously been a bridal shop and a fabric shop.
The application said: “The owners purchased the property with an aim to provide a meeting hall and community facility for a place of worship. They currently lease a unit in Rowner where the Gosport Islamic Society runs weekly prayer meetings on Fridays.
“This means many members of the community need to travel by car so when the opportunity came to purchase the unit to which this application relates the society took up the option as many members live in close vicinity and most would be able to walk to the unit.
“The premises have been vacant for over four years and marketed without success. The premises were only sold via an auction and the previous business we understand had left the unit nearly five years ago and no new retailer has taken the unit on since.
“It’s obvious the local community (Gosport Islamic Society) would benefit significantly from the change of use of this site as many of its community live within close proximity which is why they had searched for an waiting for a suitable premise in this locality.
“The community estimate as with their current location that between 50- 60 members will use the facility. However, it's important to point out that this number would only be for Friday afternoon prayers at about 1pm. This would last for approximately one hour.
“This number would also only apply to the two annual religious festivals (Eid ul Fitr and Eid ul Adha). These additional prayers would take place at approximately 8.30am and would be similar in duration to the Friday prayer meetings.”
The application added that the site would never be used for any more than five hours a day in total for prayers at sunrise, noon, late afternoon, sunset and at night.