PLANS for a large-scale mosque in west Dublin have been given the green light by An Bord Pleanála in spite of local opposition.
The planning board have granted the go-ahead for the Shuhada Foundation of Ireland to build a four-storey mosque, community centre and primary school on the site of Warrenstown House, a former HSE facility in Blanchardstown.
The facility will also include a halal store and a barber’s shop.
Dr Taufiq al-Sattar, a Dublin-based neurosurgeon, pledged to build Warrenstown Mosque in memory of his late wife - Shehnila Taufiq - who died along with their daughter Zainab, 19, and sons Bilal, 17, and Jamal, 15, in an arson attack in Leicester five years ago.
Its minaret will be 29m (95ft) high - the equivalent of around seven or eight storeys.
Local opposition
An Bord Pleanála approved the development after concluding it would not seriously harm local amenities or property or cause a traffic hazard.
Plans for the site were first lodged in 2016, and have been substantially revised and scaled down due to concerns over the scale of the development.
Fingal County Council approved the plan in 2017 before a former local resident, Patrick Regan, appealed on the grounds of noise pollution, traffic congestion and lack of public consultation.
A number of other locals got together to launch a petition, objecting to the visual and aural impact of the minaret, excessive scale and a lack of integration with the local community and creation of an exclusive community.
However, the council maintained that the minaret would not be visually obstructive and indicated that the school and community centre would be open to everyone.
They added that any potential noise disturbance caused by the daily call to prayer will be controlled by planning conditions.
Warrenstown Mosque is being financed by Dr al-Sattar’s family fund, his life savings and donations from the Islamic community in Leicester.
He also plans to raise funds from the medical community in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
