Overview
- The proposal would demolish a two-storey former pub on Carlton Vale and replace it with a 13-storey tower containing three floors of prayer space, classrooms, a morgue, a ground-floor cafe and flexible community facilities.
- The plans were prepared by architect Ayad Al-Tuhafi and were first submitted in December 2023, and the application remains under assessment by Brent Council with no permission granted.
- The public comment period generated 238 submissions, with most objections citing increased traffic, parking pressure, noise, loss of light and the tower's scale compared with the surrounding Victorian streets and the adjacent West Kilburn Baptist Church.
- The UK Albanian Muslim Community & Cultural Centre and the design team say the scheme uses setbacks and a cantilever from the third floor to reduce perceived massing at street level and that funding would come from debt, member donations and UK charitable support.
- If approved the development could worsen congestion on narrow local roads and influence how councils judge large faith-based projects in residential areas, with officers due to weigh proposed mitigation and the potential for an appeal if refused.