TWO Muslim businessmen, who wanted to build a mosque in the garden of a house in London Road, Devizes, have withdrawn the plan.

Imman Hossain, who runs the Bengal Bite restaurant in Sheep Street, and Shahid Siddiq, who runs Devizes Textiles, have written to Wiltshire Council to say they no longer want to go ahead with the scheme.

Mr Siddiq said: “I think we had a good chance of getting planning permission but when I saw all of the letters objecting I decided it would be best to withdraw.”

The Gazette reported that Mr Siddiq and Mr Hossain had fallen out over the project but this week they said they would work together to find a different solution.

Mr Siddiq, who put two portable buildings in the garden of a house he owns at Bedborough Farm, said he will move these to his site at Devizes Textiles on the Hopton Industrial Estate.

He said: “These will be used for my employees but we need to try and find another place where all the Muslim community can go for Friday Prayers. But we have until February to sort this out.”

Roundway Parish Council did not object to the retrospective plan to use the buildings as a prayer centre but the highways department was against the proposal on traffic grounds and the council received 24 letters of complaint from people living nearby.

Hannah Jones, a highways development control technician, said in a report to the planning department: “At peak times there is a high chance of vehicle conflict within the site which could well lead to vehicle conflict on the adjacent A road.

“The A361 is an arterial road in/out of Devizes and at times can be heavily trafficked. It is likely that the peak times of worship will correspond with a high vehicular use of the A361 and I would not be willing to encourage additional conflict of movements.”

Neighbours of the site at Bedborough Farm who wrote to object, but did not want to be identified, said they were pleased the application had been withdrawn.

  • On Sunday people of all faiths met in the Crown Centre, Devizes, for a meeting organised by the West Wiltshire Multi-Faith Forum. Mr Hossain and Mr Siddiq were among the group which included Muslims, Anglicans and Catholics.