Outrage as abandoned 'super mosque' becomes decade-long 'eyesore' for UK town

Locals living in the shadow of an unfinished £6million "super mosque" say the giant empty "eyesore" of a building has been blighting their lives for almost a decade. Residents in Gillingham, Kent, complain the barren part-built place of worship is a blot on the landscape which looks more like a disused multi-storey car park.

The huge three-storey building near the town's railway station was to boast a 92-foot high minaret, a dome and prayer hall for both males and females. But in its current unfinished and derelict state, locals say it looks more like what was on the site before - a car park.

Others have complained the empty shell towering over the town and people's homes looks "ugly" and "out of place". They insist it should be torn down.

Those funding the project, from volunteer-run charity the Kent Muslim Welfare Association (KMWA), say construction is on hold while funding is sought to complete it.

It's understood that £4m more needs to be added to the current £2m raised to take the huge project further.

Work on the building, the designs for which include a mortuary, community hall and cafe, is said to have begun in 2017.

NHS healthcare assistant Joanne Virtue, 57, who has lived in Gillingham for around 16 years, said: "It's an eyesore and has been like that for quite a while.

Ensure our latest news headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings.

"If they're not going to carry on with it, they can put something else there. It doesn't look great. It's ugly and has been like that long before Covid; well over six years.

"There's nothing to say it's going to continue. Either finish it or use the space for something else in the community."

She said that luckily, the mosque doesn't overlook her property, but one of her friends lives near it.

Ms Virtue added: "Especially in the summer, she says it's quite smelly. I don't know if its the drainage or water or something like that.

"There's another mosque down the road in Gravesend - about 15 or 20 miles away, if that. I work with a lot of Muslims and that's one of the mosques they go to."

Fellow resident, Susan Warner, said: "It's an ugly edifice, for a start. They've not done any work for ages. I understand they've run out of money, but it's an eyesore.

"It's standing there doing nothing. It's not pretty. It's awful and unattractive. I see it when I go shopping, but there are houses nearby that will be able to see it.

"It resembles a disused, multi-storey car park, and it originally was a car park. We have lost a car park and gained an ugly building, and we are in very short supply of car parks in Gillingham. It might never get finished."

The new super mosque is said to be needed to accommodate the area's growing Muslim population, which has seen other nearby venues taking in vast numbers of worshippers well over their capacities.

Civil servant Jane Liddiard, 61, who has lived in the area for 12 years, said: "I pass this eyesore of a building every morning and afternoon.

"I am so shocked that they have left it in this state. I just think it's a waste of money."

She added: "It doesn't even look anything like a mosque. It could be anything - it's just a derelict building. It could be an unfinished block of flats. It seems out of place. If they haven't got the money to finish it, they should knock it down."

Ms Liddiard's son, Benjamin Giffin, added that though it would have been good for the local Muslim community, its current form doesn't reflect well on the town.

Mr Giffin, 32, said: "I like the idea and I think it will bring a lot of culture and diversity into Gillingham. But it needs to be finished. We need to find the money to finish it.

"At the moment, it doesn't look good at all. It doesn't create a good impression of Gillingham for people passing by. Every day, my mum complains about it. Muslim people I know want to go in there, but it's like, when will it be finished?"

KMWA have been contacted for comment.