Drill Hall ‘no longer for sale’
CONTROVERSY: The Drill Hall site
THE controversial sale of the Drill Hall site in High Town to a Muslim group has been axed, with Luton Borough Council announcing yesterday (Dec 21) that homes will be built there instead.
At a secret meeting last week, members of the council’s executive decided that the site should be used for housing, rather than be sold to the Shia Muslim Masjid-e-Ali group for £1.5 million.
A spokesman for the group said its members were “extremely disappointed” by the decision.
The council had agreed to sell the site to the group for use as a community centre, but suspended the sale earlier this year after rumours were circulated in Luton by the English Defence League that the new building would be a ‘High Town Super-Mosque’.
A campaign followed by a group called House the People for new affordable homes to built on the site.
The council said the sale was suspended because of new policy guidance from Whitehall on the sale of buildings owned by local authorities.
A task group consisting of council leader Hazel Simmons and two other Labour executive members was set up in September to look at the best future use of the site.
They spoke to local residents and community groups including the Masjid-e-Ali, who are currently based in Moor Street.
Cllr Simmons said the decision reflected the council’s commitment to providing affordable housing, adding: “Our goal is to maximise the potential for regeneration in this area with a scheme that is supported by the local and wider community.”
She continued: “This has been a long and challenging process and the decision we have made at the end of it reflects the council’s commitment to doing everything it can to continue to provide new and much-needed affordable housing in Luton. This remains an absolute priority.”
The council says the homes on the site will be a mixture of “affordable and private market dwellings”.
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Thursday 23 February 2012
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Comments
There are 8 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
Paul R
Saturday, December 24, 2011 at 05:23 PMAh, so the police have been handing out Osman warnings for a laugh now have they? If there was video evidence you'd say it was faked, and any eye witnesses would probably be his mates lying for him. Anything rather than accept that plenty of Muslims think it's justifiable to use violence against anyone who insults their so-called religion.
Shirley Johnson
Saturday, December 24, 2011 at 01:41 PMPaul, This story has all the Kredibility of Kev Karroll's assasination attempt, that is none at all. Even the far right dismisses it. Still Tommy's make up has given us all a good laugh for Winterval.
Shirley Johnson
Saturday, December 24, 2011 at 01:41 PMPaul, This story has all the Kredibility of Kev Karroll's assasination attempt, that is none at all. Even the far right dismisses it. Still Tommy's make up has given us all a good laugh for Winterval.
Paul R
Saturday, December 24, 2011 at 12:34 AMHe's clearly faking the massive bump and scratches as well eh? http:1.bp.blogspot.com-HHB044zmhKITvOcfRxCCiIAAAAAAAAEEwBMAw1n5EzdQs400tommybruised2.jpg
Paul R
Saturday, December 24, 2011 at 12:25 AMShirley Johnson, so you're saying he got a few mates to slap make-up on his face and that fooled the medical staff at the L&D into giving him a brain scan? Would you have the same reaction if a prominent local Muslim was beaten up by a gang of white thugs a few days before EID? Of course you would, because you're not a racist right? People like you need to take a long look at yourselves, you really do.
Shirley Johnson
Friday, December 23, 2011 at 03:24 PMWhich story should they report Paul R? He's lying through his teeth. His story is so obviously a lie many of your fellow far right nutters don't even believe it. Nice make up though. L'Oreal?
Scrumptious
Thursday, December 22, 2011 at 09:19 PMBritish people can and are Muslim, so that's a bit of an odd statement Paul R. How can Britain be invaded by its own people? I couldn't give a fig for any religions but I hope the council didn't cave in to to scaremongering tactics. Tommy Robinson isn't backward in coming forward when it comes to self publicity, so I'm sure we'll be bored rigid by whatever he thinks has happened to him very soon.
Paul R
Thursday, December 22, 2011 at 07:30 PMGood! It's about time local and national government realised British people will not sit back and allow their country to be invaded. We don't want any more mosques in Luton, or anywhere else in the UK. Well done the EDL and others who stopped the sale going ahead. Any chance of Luton Today reporting what just happened to Tommy Robinson I wonder, or might that upset community cohesion?
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