A DECISION will be made today on whether to allow a large mosque to be built in Great Lever.

The owners of the Makkah Mosque and Community Centre in Grecian Crescent want to build a bigger facility on vacant land at the site.

The mosque is currently housed in a Victorian former school building, which would remain in place under the plans and be used as an education centre.

If approved at the planning committee meeting this afternoon, the new three-storey mosque building will be built alongside a new two-tier community centre — with spaces for 90 cars to park on the site.

The planned development will consist of a main building, along with two minarets reaching 130 metres above sea-level, which works out at 25 metres high – as well as a large dome.

The Makkah Mosque Trust said the plans have been submitted because the current building has reached its capacity and the new facility will meet the “current and future religious and non-religious needs of the local Muslim and non-Muslim community”.

The trust states that one key aspect of the proposed new mosque is to provide “much needed” facilities for women and children. This means a specific prayer hall for women, as well as a women-only washing room.

The plans also include a main prayer hall and a special occasion prayer hall, funeral room and meeting rooms. The total footprint of the new scheme will cover 5.895 sq m, compared to the 2.680 sq m taken up by the existing mosque plot.

The current building is included in that measurement as it is proposed it will remain in use as an education centre for the trust.

A spokesman said: “A desire to enhance and improve the dated mosque facilities and provide much needed prayer and other facilities for women and children as well as to cater for the wider local community irrespective of their race, creed, colour gender and religion is the driving force behind the proposed scheme.” The plans will be up for discussion at the planning committee meeting, which takes place from 2pm today in the town hall.

You can follow the action from the meeting live on the boltonnews.co.uk at 2pm today