The Stealth Mosque Gets The Green Light Again !

We have received a response from the council regarding the latest planning breach at Hamptons.

Our team are lost for words and unsurprised in equal measures at this latest decision from a weak and woke council department. However, we did rather predict this response in our latest update last week.

The Chelmsford Muslim Society were given very clear and specific instructions in November 2020 about what was permitted as part of the lawful “community use” of the building. Here’s the email they were sent.

This latest decision from Planning Enforcement (who will not even put a name to their emails now) pretty much allows the Chelmsford Muslim Society to use Hamptons as a mosque, day and night if they wish, claiming “it’s a reasonable degree of public worship”.

Clearly the protection of the residential amenity, and the retention of the leisure uses at Hamptons is not a priority to the nameless minions of the Planning Department.

The council go on to give the green light for “the holding of future limited events in connection with religious calendar events, of whatever denomination, without a change of use of the centre occurring in planning terms”. Specifying the use for “limited events” without any parameters is pretty pointless, and open to abuse !

In the absence of any specific parameters, CMS will continue to push the boundaries, and the council will continue to revise their “legal opinion”. There will be no need for a formal application for planning permission, that the rest of us have to submit to comply with planning regulations.

Since this campaign began 16 months ago the council have moved the goalposts so many times, the drag marks now span the whole of Great Baddow.

We have repeatedly asked the council to identify the powers, or the sections of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 that they using to grant these informal planning permissions. They have never responded with an answer.

Hamptons has never applied for or been granted planning permission for use as a Place Of Worship. When we asked the council to produce any documents formally granting planning permission for a Change of Use or anything relating to the building use class, they hide behind legal privilege. Does that sound right to you ?

A use outside of the building’s formal planning permission is a breach of planning control. We do not accept the council’s informal decisions, which are not based in law.

We will of course challenge this decision, and hope that you will continue to assist us. Please visit the “How You Can Help” page here.

WE FIGHT ON !

KBO