Muslims are appealing against a council’s decision to throw out a planning application to convert a pub into a cultural centre.
The group who regularly meet for Friday prayers at Springfield House in Stevenage, applied to convert the former White Horse pub on nearby Albert Street into a Bangladeshi community and education centre earlier this year. But Stevenage councillors threw out the application in September on the grounds that there is insufficient parking in the area to accommodate them, particularly on Friday nights.
The plan is supported by religious collective, Churches Together in Stevenage, but is opposed by a number of residents in the area.
The appeal will be assessed by an independent government planning inspector who is expected to make a decision in the new year.
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