The Altrincham & Hale Muslim Association has announced ambitious plans to relocate from its current premises on Grove Lane to a new purpose-built Islamic Centre and Masjid on Thorley Lane in Timperley.
A masjid, the Arabic word for mosque, is a place of worship for Muslims where the community gathers for prayers, religious education and social activities.
In an interview with Altrincham Today, Amjad, a trustee of the Association, revealed that the organisation has already raised the £1 million needed to purchase the site, which was secured last year.
The next phase of fundraising will focus on building costs, estimated at £4 million.
"The current mosque was purchased in 2003. In 22 years we have completely outgrown it, it has a capacity of 600-odd people," Amjad said.
"We're not expecting to fill the new mosque as soon as it is built, but we're looking at the next 25 years. We want to future-proof ourselves."
According to the Association, the proposed new development on Thorley Lane, opposite the site of the former World of Pets (now slated for housing development), will be a "modern state of the art purpose-built Masjid" with capacity for up to 1,800 people. The plans outline a 25,000 sq ft facility spread across two and a half floors on a 1.6-acre site.
A number of visuals have been released which show the plans for the Islamic Centre.
Key features will include basement facilities for ritual washing (wudu) before prayer, 94 on-site car parking spaces, an on-site café, and potential rooftop space that could be used for weddings and private functions.
Addressing potential concerns about traffic congestion on Thorley Lane, Amjad pointed to the wider context of development in the area: "If they're going to build 2,500 homes in Davenport Green, I don't think that argument stacks up."
He also noted that the new location would "alleviate the problems with Grove Lane, which is also a bus route and a relatively narrow road compared to Thorley Lane".
The Association has been in discussions with Trafford Council over the past four to five months, and according to Amjad, their planning consultants are "very, very confident" about the application's prospects.
He emphasised that the site is "not green belt" but is now "designated for housing and a whole infrastructure is being put in for this development" as part of the larger Timperley Wedge scheme.
While acknowledging there has been some opposition to the plans on social media, Amjad said the Association is focused on engaging with the formal planning process. "There are always objections to anything which is new. I'm sure Miller Homes have had a lot of objections, and some will be valid objections."
"We are just going to engage with the planning process, and go through the things we need to do to get planning."
If approved, the Association expects construction to take around 18 months, with a target completion date of 2028. The current site on Grove Lane would be sold for redevelopment as housing.
The proposed Islamic Centre would be situated within the context of significant development planned for the area.
The Timperley Wedge/Davenport Green project includes £750m plans for 2,500 new homes (45% affordable), 60,000 sq m of employment space, and a new rural park on 558 acres of former Green Belt land.
Miller Homes has secured permission for a new 76-home development called Thorley Glade on the adjacent former World of Pets site, nearly half of which will be available via affordable rent or shared ownership.
