City council gives green light for church conversion plans (From South Wales Argus)
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City council gives green light for church conversion plans
6:10pm Thursday 13th August 2009 in News
PLANS to turn a disused church into a mosque and multi-faith community centre were unanimously approved by Newport city council.
The application from the Islamic Society for Gwent proposed internal alterations to the United Reform Church on Victoria Road, Newport, so the building can be used for worship and community activities for the first time since it closed as a church in August 2007.
Concerns were raised about the removal of pews and a world war one memorial from the Grade II listed building to make it suitable for Islamic worship, as well as covering stained glass windows with frosted panels.
But planning officials and councillors said they were satisfied any objects removed from the building would be stored appropriately and it was vital the building be put to good use again.
Secretary of the Islamic Society for Gwent Mubarak Ali said the group was delighted with the unanimous decision and hoped to get on with work to the building as soon as possible.
Plans for multicultural support and outreach services in the building were also still on course.
He added that while work would begin on the inside of the building almost straight away, the society was in the process of applying for funding from CADW and the Big Lottery Fund for more costly restoration work with the cost of the project expected to be in excess of £200,000.
The plans had already received support from the Ancient Monuments Society, the Victorian Society and the Royal Commission for Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, providing the removed pews were retained and a photographic record was kept of the building’s appearance before any of the changes were made.
Councillor Bob Poole also spoke in support of the society’s plans.
He said: “I think they’re doing an absolutely tremendous job in the community. They have done everything they possibly could to appease everybody and I think we should all encourage them.”
Comments(32)
TicoPhil
says...
12:08am Fri 14 Aug 09
A multi faith church seems a good idea and far better than being bought by a chain of pubs or converted into flats. Good use providing it is multi-faith in every perceivable sense of the word: that we can all get a chance to use it. That is to say, I have a faith but it's not in a religious sense, more of a innert moral faith, faith in humanity, of goodness, purity, democracy without the necessity of one single God like figure. So, I would like the council to ensure that 'multi-faith' (Newspeak word from 1984 if ever there was one) means just that, every faith and not restricted to just one or two religious faiths. This could be a wonderful art gallery, music venue or theatre, exhibition centre or even a museum (Grade 1 listed after all)...pity to limit it to RELIGION alone.
shaz1
says...
3:47am Fri 14 Aug 09
just to clarify WE DO RESPECT ALL the war dead.further more WE DO respect the laws of this land.Parcel get your facts right and remeber the real facts.i would also like to thank the Argus for its wonderfull reporting.
D.G.
says...
10:53am Fri 14 Aug 09
He left me with the impression of being a complete tool. I wouldn't take it personally.
shaz1
says...
1:20pm Fri 14 Aug 09
one has said a good word about this Stow Hill ward councillor.A lot of people are very angry about his conduct especially at last July`s planning commitee meeting.i was there in this month`s planning commitee meeting in council chamber.Peter Davies was savaged and severelly critised by fellow councillors at that meeting.He still has NOT appologised For his Disgracefull conduct and comments at July`s commitee meeting.He should be sacked and kicked out of council office.He wanted a memorial he now has got it ,this will be all he will be remembered for.i hope Newport City Council act now swiftly and remove him from office.i would also like to point out alot of members of public,various government bodies,M.P`s,A.m`s and Newport Councillors have backed our proposals and plans for the building.the Bishop of Monmouth also supported us last year.once again to the sensible people of Newport we would like to thank.Once again i would like to thank the Argus for it`s excellent work and reporting.
Salem
says...
5:48pm Fri 14 Aug 09
shaz1
says...
6:55pm Fri 14 Aug 09
parcel
says...
9:01pm Sat 15 Aug 09
I am not talking about your respect for the laws of the land.
I said this country was:
not founded on the Islamic Society for Gwent.
My "facts" are straight!!
Stuck
says...
1:17am Sun 16 Aug 09
davewales
says...
3:55pm Sun 16 Aug 09
islam is an ideology like communism,fascism and natzism.
how can this be a place multi faith is practiced when muslims only believe in one faith,islam.
christians ,jews,budhists etc are being attacked and their places of worship burned to the ground all over the world by islamists.
why should we accomodate this evil religion.
pakistani,saudi arabian,somalian,tha
i and home grown asians are using this religon to kill and bomb in the name of allah.
we want intergration,toleran
ce and harmony of all peoples whatever their beliefs.
islam wants total domination of the world.
next you will be allowing sharia law
ie stoning for adultery and amputations for theft like in saudi arabia.
in saudi arabia women cant even drive a car.
stop pandering to these fanatics .
stop giving all the grants to muslims.
shut all the advice centres just for immigrants and treat us all the same.
these actions are making a mokery of why we fought facism.
slowly but surely we are losing our own identity to accomadate any tom ,dick or harry thats a minority in this country.
i am fed up of the spineless politicians ,running this country into the ground and i long for a party to stand up to these politically correct morons.
councillors you are a disgrace to this country.
shaz1
says...
10:55pm Sun 16 Aug 09
youtube bnp video clips and posts.
davewales
says...
2:43pm Mon 17 Aug 09
it was a show of force to frighten locals shouting arabic slogans,pushing people out of their way and showed how muslim women are treated as 2nd class citizens walking behind the mob of men in black.
i explained this in the threads.
i also wrote how asians dont mix with other credes and are making asian ghettos in newport .
whats wrong with the bnp anyway.
its a party for the interests of white people.all parties have racists.
a minority are out right racist which everybody focuses on but the majority just want a party that focuses on white issues.
thats why other credes arent wanted in the party,they have their own issues which dont affect white people .
you have your islamic societies,mobos, black pride,miss asian uk,black baftas
,asian council,basa,fife
i could go on and on but if anything is set up for white people its racist.
asians are given an unfair advantage compared with other credes regards grants,housing and advice centres.
there is around 4 million welsh and many many more asians in the uk.
we are the minority now so the handouts should stop.
any party that will stop the influx of foreigners from africa and asia will get my vote in the next elections.
i have nothing against helping migrants fleeing persecution or war.
i just hope the council is watching this mosque and others to stop wuhabbi influences.
asians are the biggest threat to national security and the peaceful life we have in the uk. that is a statement from the uk government ,muslim home grown terrorists the number 1 threat.
we want everyone treated the same not special favours for certain minorities.
davewales
says...
3:28pm Mon 17 Aug 09
D.G.
says...
4:00pm Mon 17 Aug 09
I suggest you lay off YouTube and the far-right literature and go for a walk in the sunshine. Meet new people with different lives to you. You might be surprised how much you have in common.
It's sad that a story about a group who are bringing a disused church back into use has generated the usual fearful, knee-jerk responses.
Convinced
says...
7:07pm Mon 17 Aug 09
D.G. is right, there are is certainly o shrotage of religions intolerance armongst orthodox Jews, and there are more with so called traditional 'Christian' values that promote hatred than i care to count. Regardless of the government's threat alert relating to radicalized Islamists, I worry about ignorance and the nations love affair with alcohol far more than terrorists (which working in the City of London could easily be a higher concern)
Davewales, if you are concerned about the disproportionate influence of Asians locally, then why not get involved? It is your community too, and you know, there is a saying 'the squeaky wheel gets the grease', so of course groups that take the time to get involved get results, but complaints only have credence if it can be shown that other groups are ignored..........
davewales
says...
7:48pm Mon 17 Aug 09
secondly ,i was told the newport muslim march regarding the church was on youtube and i watched it.
try newport muslim march in youtube search. it was posted by a bnp member and i have never been to a bnp meeting or visited their site.
maybe you should check out youtube and look under islamic extremism there seems to be plenty of posts from british muslims and extremist immans.
i was in the town centre at the time and saw these marchers pushing people out of their way.an elderly chap was pushed over by me.
they were very intimidating.
thirdly i am asking for all people to be treated equally,not just white people .
lastly i am worried about wuhabbism.
this is different to the sunni and shiite take on islam.
the saudi's are waging a war on the west and using other muslims to do their dirty bidding.i understand and agree the majority are good people but the government does have a major problem with home grown terrorism or is that rubbish. the extremists are putting wuhabbi far right literature in mosques and most mosques are allowing this and turning a blind eye.
this church wouldnt have been closed if wasnt for the politically correct stopping christianity being taught in schools and christian assemblies being abolished.this was to accomadate athiests and minority religions.
thats the main reason the kids today dont go to church ,have no morals and run ferrel on estates.
shaz1
says...
3:18am Tue 18 Aug 09
post at the top of page i have said that we respect all the war dead that includes ww1 and ww2 and afganistan.We were NOT in intimidating or pushing people over in town march as you falsely stated.the video was filmed by your freinds in bnp.We are not whabbi nor are we supported by saudi arabia.WE are Shia and we are AGAINST terrorism.
Anybody found peddling or supporting
terrorism will be kicked out of building
and turned over to the police.As i stated in my first post we do respect the laws of this country.If you read the Argus they have been giveing good coverage about our organisation over the last thirty years
D.G.
says...
10:08am Tue 18 Aug 09
I will say though that the internet is used as a mouthpiece by extremists of all types. Of course, if you type "islamic extremism" you'll get extremist views, what else would you expect to get? If you type "white supremacy" you'll get the same kind of stuff from a different angle. It doesn't mean that the National Front are on the brink of taking over.
As for the threat of home-grown terrorism, well, yes, it's there; but no more so than when the IRA were active. Life carried on then, and it will now. I suspect the government is exaggerating it to push through their ID card scheme, which will make a lot of money for their mates.
Lastly the church - I was taken to Sunday school every week as a child, and had the religious assemblies in school, etc. But like many people, I don't go to church any more - mainly because the church doesn't reflect my values (lack of gender equality, preaching that homosexuality is a sin etc) and partly because I've read the Bible and it's pretty nasty in places. "Political correctness" had nothing to do with it. There are problems in society, but we won't solve them by turning on each other.
Javez
says...
12:53pm Tue 18 Aug 09
I do believe that the "racism" card is played too widely and too readily, especially on here. I do believe that immigration in the UK needs tighter control - but I do also believe that multiculturalism, with a heavy element of inclusion on both sides, is the way forward, and possibly the only way we, as a race, will survive.
(For the record, when I say "race", I do not mean "whites", or "British" - I mean "humankind").
If the current tides of uninformed right-wing Islamaphobia on one side, and idealised right-wing Islamic extremism on the other side are left to run unchecked, we are heading towards a global conflict from which there will be no turning back. It's not a case, either, of tackling one then the other - they both have to be tackled at once.
davewales
says...
4:41pm Tue 18 Aug 09
a community site not bnp site.
the video shows how peaceful your march was.
the bnp are not my freinds.
if i was a racist i would join combat 18 not some halfway racist organisation.
unlike muslims my family has many credes in its fold of different religions.
so dont raise the race card at me.
i want to mix with all cultures but islam stops muslims like yourself mixing with other cultures.
we are the enemy as you say,the unbelievers.
i was at the march and it happend.
you were at the back if on the march with the other women.
the women werent intimidating they just ranted arabic slogans and beat their chests.
you havent answered why you only spoke in arabic and beat your chests like mad men.
the men mainly 20-40 walked through the town like the football holigans of the 80's.
i noticed the taxi drivers who cause chaos by blocking roads and slowing traffic were at the head of the march.
the same men who tried intimidating the council and railway station a few weeks ago.
still havent seen any messages of sympathy to the local soldiers killed trying to bring peace and stability in iraq and afghanistan.
you can say you respect the war dead but lets see your muslim community attending
the war memorial ceremony when next held.
lets also see your community intergrating and involving others in your ceremonies and festivals.
you are closing yourselves away from other cultures the act of a racist society not willing to mix.
or prove me wrong shaz
Stuck
says...
5:24pm Tue 18 Aug 09
My politics tend to be very liberal. I support gay marriage, pro choice, pro stem cell research, womens rights and the freedom to reject religious dogma. How many of my values would find a home in the muslim community? How many muslims have marched to support British troops or to say that terrorist attacks in London 7/7 "were not in my name"? Muslims organised a march in Newport over some dead guy who died over a thousand years ago, why cant you organise a march to state your position over terrorism. It has happened in Northern Ireland and the Basque country so why not you? Muslims have caused trouble in the UK over some cartoons printed in Denamark. What has that got to do with the British? Its an indicator of the Islamic viewpoint that all the west is decadent and must be converted, subjugated or destroyed.
Stuck
says...
5:27pm Tue 18 Aug 09
shaz1
says...
2:17am Wed 19 Aug 09
leaflets were also handed out to the shoppers in English.this peacefull march has been goining on annually for the last 30 years in Newport.this is to commemorate the martyrdem of imam Hussain the grandson of the holy prophet Mohammed.He died fighting for good against evil doers.the marchers recite in Arabic and beat their chests as a mark of respect and mourning his death.this tragerdy happened in Karabla in Iraq about 1400 years ago.Remember Jusus was crucified by evil doers according to the Bible.
my nephew is training in the army and wants to go out and fight for britain in afganistan.My sympathy goes out to the soldiers and family who have died in Iraq and Afganistan.
our community is intergrating and involving others in our activities,look at Maindee festival.We are not closing ourselves away from other cultures,and we do mix.Obviously you know little about us.We have already proven you wrong and out of touch with reality DaveWales.
shaz1
says...
2:31am Wed 19 Aug 09
davewales
says...
2:36pm Wed 19 Aug 09
he was on his way to pronounce himself caliphe.
the holiday of ashoura is a barbaric ritual where followers cut themselves then beat the wounds to keep blood flowing.i am shocked that children are cut by their parents in this festival.most european countries have banned the practice otherwise it would have happend in newport.
what a site that would be
visit below to see this barbaric festival
http://www.factsofis
rael.com/blog/archiv
es/000635.html
Newbribge
says...
11:03pm Wed 19 Aug 09
It's funny how civil these forums have became of late, without those two launching there plethora of personal insults
bucks
says...
11:42am Thu 20 Aug 09
White men can't dance
Asians can't park
That's all, as you were.
Stuck
says...
1:03pm Thu 20 Aug 09
username2
says...
1:19pm Thu 20 Aug 09
Newbribge wrote:How ironic you're the one to bring up "respect," you really know how to hold a grudge. I'm actually surprised you haven't already posted some of your inane, racist drivel, you must be absolutely fuming at the thought of Muslims being allowed to worship.
I was also surprised how everybody was debating civilly and without disrespect.. Then I realised the two Retards Username2 and RichardEdward where absent.. It's funny how civil these forums have became of late, without those two launching there plethora of personal insults
Anyway, back to the adult debate, I think it's great that a Newport institution is being used for worship of any type rather than being torn down or turned into a cr*p restaurant/shop.
davewales
says...
1:35pm Thu 20 Aug 09
in maindee ,pill and at the old mosque on stow hill asian drivers park as they please.
double yellow lines,residential parking areas,no parking signs all ignored while friday mosque goes on.
not one car is ticketed for illegal parking.the same happens when ever the hackney cabs park around the civic centre,not one gets a ticket.
one rule for them and one for everyone else.
if you hang a muslim trinket from your mirror in your car you will be ignored.
this political correctness frightens the authorities of doing their job for fear of being called racist.
davewales
says...
4:20pm Thu 20 Aug 09
you come across a very intelligent ,tolerant person with great faith in your religion.
i must commend the mosque on its stand against terrorism and extremists trying to pedal their filth.
please try and get the mosque to become more open to other faiths and intergrate more with others.
attending the war memorial on rememberance day would be a massive gesture of solidarity and support to locals as well as the many faiths like islam that fought in the wars against the nazi's.
i am more upset the church and council havent fought to do something with this building i am sure the organisations like the lottery,cadw etc would have donated as they have to your congregation.
i appologise if i did come across racist its the white politically correct mob i am more peeved off with.
best of luck with the building as said above ,better the building be used by someone than left to rack and ruin.
Newbribge
says...
5:10pm Thu 20 Aug 09
Ah the imaginary racist posts, which you refuse to link, as like your brain and the Easter Bunny they don't exist!
How about I link one of your older 'South Wales Wales Argus' posts that conveniently has your IP address logged..
parcel says...
7:02pm Thu 13 Aug 09
He said: “I think they’re doing an absolutely tremendous job in the community. They have done everything they possibly could to appease everybody and I think we should all encourage them.”
This country and the principles that govern it, is not run on what the Islamic Society for Gwent practice or believe, let us not forget that!