A social club which closed after 100 years because of dwindling membership is set to become a Muslim community centre.
The Brighton and Hove Sports and Social Club in Lewes Road closed its doors for the last time in August 2024.
Now, a planning application to convert it into a place of worship has been submitted to Brighton and Hove City Council by Mr H Chaudhury.
Neighbours say the building is already being used on Fridays by worshippers – and one person has objected to the plans on the basis crowds of worshippers are blocking the pavement outside and parking badly in surrounding side streets.
One, whose details have been redacted on the council website, said: “The area is already under severe pressure due to extremely high traffic, congestion and parking.
“The addition of a regular place of worship with regular heavy attendance will only worsen what is already a very congested area and make difficult matter, as it is at present, worst.
“Furthermore the council changed Lewes road to a double red line area with automatic cameras but did not facilitate new loading areas which has made access to shops and dwellings in Lewes road and surrounding streets very difficult. Regular crowd gathering will only make this worst for residents.
“Worship is already being conducted at the premises and this has resulted on cars badly parked in Trinity street, Wellington Road, Park Crescent Place, Newport Street, etc.
“Lastly before/after worship there is crowds gathered in the pavement, by the door in Lewes Road, saturating the pavement whilst there is also a bus stop and already existing heavy foot traffic.
“A less congested area with more available parking should be more suitable for a place of worship/crowd gathering.”
The application, written by Alistair Dodd Consulting, includes floor plans which show a large prayer room, library, kitchen and toilets on the ground floor.
Upstairs, there is an events space and five “priest rooms” which it says would be used for occasional sleeping.
No proposed opening hours are included, and the application form says just one part-time post would be created.
Used to be my favourite cinema in the 50’s. Proper flea pit.
Please enlighten me, what was it called? It was before my time!
It was the Arcadia cinema which opened in 1910 and closed in either 1952 or 1957 depended on whom you believe…
Not good….
These verses outline a comprehensive moral code that mirrors the biblical commandments:Worship only One God: The absolute prohibition of polytheism (Shirk) and idolatry.Honor your parents: Treating mother and father with the utmost respect, care, and humility, particularly in their old age.Do not murder: The preservation of life; taking an innocent life is strictly forbidden.Do not commit adultery: Guarding chastity and avoiding all unlawful sexual relations.Protect orphans: Caring for those who have lost their parents and protecting their rights and properties.Deal justly and honestly: Giving full measure and weight in trade, fulfilling contracts, and not cheating others.Be truthful and just: Bearing true witness even if it goes against yourself or loved ones.Do not steal: Prohibiting the taking of what rightfully belongs to another.Provide for the needy: Giving charity (Zakat) and assisting relatives and the poor.Do not covet worldly gains: Not looking enviously at what has been given to others
None of your comments represent muslims,infact the opposite.
Women are to be 2nd class
Build a christian centre for all the recent Iranian converts.
The last thing Brighton & Hove (or any British city) needs is another place of Muslim worhship! There are currently around 2,000 mosques in this country (200 alone in Birmingham), against approximately 42,000 churches. And whilst the numbers of the latter are steadily declining, the numbers of the former are steadily increasing (often by converting closed churches into new mosques).
The creeping Islamification of the UK is already well underway which, if allowed to continue unchecked, will eventually result in the widespread imposition of Sharia law, the abolition of Christianity, and the subjugation of our western values and way of life.
It’s time to draw a line. No to this “place of worship”!
No way
Noone wants this how about make a Christian social hub?
Well said.
A Church?? I’ve seen a few around
💯 agree
So what’s the problem with others?
If no-one wanted it then there would be no proposals! It doesn’t matter how much frothing at the mouth you do, if you have substantive objections, such as traffic, parking, access, loss of amenity etc, submit them to the appropriate authorities. Blethering on because you dislike the colour of their skin or belief system only goes to your own inadequacies. Just a reminder that the most common first name for English boys is Mohammed.
Why bring skin colour into it Ann?
you do know you Muslims come in all different colours, even white.
You should really get a handle on your racist bigot views on people’s skin colour.
As for Mosques, no one has an issue if in suitable locations, but often they are not. bringing noise and parking problems to small residential streets.
Take a look at Lebanon, a once peaceful prosperous country with a majority Christian population living in peace and harmony with all other religions, then Muslims became the dominant religion, they openly oppressed all other religions and turned Lebanon into the backwards violent basket case that we there today.
Lebanese people on the let it happen, once they realised, it was too late for their hard built way of life they once enjoyed
The reason the most common first name for English boys is Mohammed is simply because Muslims are having children at a far greater rate than Christians, other religions, and athiests.
If the trend continues, by 2045 white, no Muslims under 30 will be an ethnic minority in their own country, and by 2065 the same will be true for the rest of us.
Ann why not ask to pray with the men down there? Equality for all etc
You call this journalism?
This is an application only. It is up to us to object and look into other possibilities.
Accimodation is desperately needed.
The conjestion in that are is already intense.
If this is accepted I would be highly suspicious.
No more Muslims! They all need to go!