Protests have been held outside the construction site of a controversial mosque on the edge of the Lake District. Those for and against the £2.5million South Lakes Islamic Centre waved placards and chanted as they stood opposite each other outside the site in Dalton-in-Furness, Cumbria.
The place of worship in Crooklands Brow has been under construction since January after planning approval was granted in December 2022, despite 30 objections being raised. The South Lakes Islamic centre charity, led by a group of Muslim doctors working at Barrow’s Furness General Hospital, is behind the project and says it will become the only masjid within a 50-mile radius, serving both the local Muslim community and visiting tourists. Supporters of the mosque held banners that read ‘stop the far right’ and chanted: “Say it loud, say it clear, Islamic Centre is welcome here.”
Opposing protestors waved Union Jack and Knights Templar flags, with the two groups reportedly shouting across the road during heated exchanges.
The South Lakes Islamic Centre charity said the mosque would cater to the 40 to 50 practising Muslim doctors at Furness General Hospital and their families.
The three-storey building includes a prayer hall and community centre, while there will also be an onsite car park.
The centre will also be able to be used by “professionals, business communities and other trade workers who will need basic prayer, burial, teaching and community facilities”.
Supporters say the centre, which is expected to cost £2.5million, will provide a much-needed place of worship for hundreds of Muslim families in the area, while critics have claimed it is not needed.
Mandy Penellum, secretary of Barrow’s Trades Council, came out in support of South Lakes Islamic Centre, saying: “I’m from Barrow myself but we’re all Furness people, and there has been so much negative coverage about the Islamic Centre. We came together to counter the negativity from the protesters over there.
“There is a narrative here that’s been perpetuated – that the Islamic Centre’s not welcome – and that’s not everybody’s view by any stretch of the imagination.
“We’ve always been a welcoming and tolerant community here and people have come out to show that. You only have to look at Furness General Hospital, with staff from all over the world – it’s important everybody has a space to worship.
“The centre is also going to be an asset for community use and I think it’s really important that people understand that and acknowledge the fact that we’re all human beings, we all have a right and a space to pray.”
Paul Jenkins, from Stand Up to Racism and Unite Against Fascism, said: “We were standing in solidarity the South Lakes Islamic Centre and we were opposing a protest which was being held against the Islamic Centre.
“Dalton, and Furness generally, is a welcoming, multicultural, and multi-faith place. The protest against the Mosque does not speak for the people of Dalton and of Furness.”
Residents have previously voiced concerns on social media over the mosque’s construction.
One described it as “monstrosity”, while another claimed it is “disgusting” and a “total blot on the landscape”.
Another said: “There’s goes the beautiful Lake District – with a huge building plonked there.”
However, the mosque actually falls outside of the Lake District National Park’s boundary.
In March, a South Lakes Islamic Centre representative alleged there had been delays in the delivery of material to the site off Ulverston Road due to negative coverage.
In a YouTube video, a representative from the charity claimed work to pour concrete into the foundations was “delayed” and that “local suppliers have refused to deal with us”.
The spokesman added some quarries have also “declined” to give stones to the centre.
Construction for the place of worship has continued since the alleged delay.