New mosque approved despite parking chaos fears in West Bromwich

The new mosque will be built in Dartmouth Street, West Bromwich, after receiving the backing of Sandwell Council’s planning committee in a delayed ruling.

The decision comes after several neighbours complained the residential area was already a “parking nightmare” with many left feeling trapped in their homes.

Only sixteen parking spaces will be provided for more than 450 worshippers with narrow Dartmouth Street, Brook Street and Duke Street mostly covered in double yellow lines and with very few on-street spaces.

A decision was supposed to have been made in July but was delayed to allow for further talks between the council, neighbours and the Bangladeshi Muslim Welfare Association. The council said it would look into installing bollards to prevent pavement parking.

A number of residents in Brook Street said they supported the new mosque but were very concerned by so few parking spaces.

One resident, who is a doctor, said she had missed appointments because of cars blocking her home because she “physically couldn’t get off the drive.” Another objector, who lived with her 70-year-old husband with mobility issues in Brook Street, said the amount of cars illegally parking was “absolutely horrendous and a nightmare.”