Mosque decision called in

Twm Owen, local democracy reporter

A decision to allow a former library building to be used as a mosque could be placed on hold this week.

Monmouthshire council’s ruling cabinet agreed in May to grant a 30-year lease to the Monmouthshire Muslim Community Association who plan to use the vacant building as a mosque and cultural centre. It would be the county’s first mosque.

However three councillors have “called in” the decision meaning it will be reviewed at a special meeting of the council’s place scrutiny committee.

Flaws

The nine member, cross party committee, will have to decide whether to accept the cabinet’s original decision to grant the lease or if they agree there were flaws in the decision making process they can ask the cabinet to look at the decision again.

The committee also has the power to refer the decision to the full council, which would then have to look at how the decision was made and decide whether to accept it or send it back to the cabinet to reconsider.

If the cabinet does have to take the decision again it must do so within ten working days and will be asked to consider the comments made but can stick by its original decision, amend it or overturn it.

Conservative councillors Louise Brown and Rachel Buckler, who represent Shirenewton and Devauden in the south of Monmouthshire, and Llanelly Hill independent Simon Howarth called the decision, made by the Labour-led cabinet, in for review.

Their request highlights three grounds for doing so which are a claimed “lack of proper scrutiny/due process and community consultation”, how the building was marketed and their concerns over “best value” at the £6,000 a year lease.

Highest scoring

When the cabinet agreed to grant the lease it was stated the accepted bid was the highest scoring on the application process that was intended to explore opportunities to maximise social benefit and generate a financial return from an otherwise empty building.

The cabinet was also told 30-year leases were common and the cabinet had declared the building, that was last used as a pupil referral unit, as surplus in November when it granted the council’s landlord services permission to market the building as available to lease.

It was built by Scottish American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, though it closed as a library in 2015 when the service transferred to the town hall.

Councillors were also told commercial uses, which could be allowed under the restrictions of the building’s covenant, had been considered and the agreed rent was said to be in the context of “significant investment” required, from the lease holders, in the 120-year-old grade II listed building.

The call in also states “community engagement is required” as no planning permission is needed as there is no change in the use class of the building.

The special meeting will take place, at Monmouthshire County Hall in Usk, on Wednesday, June 11 at 5.30pm.