Plans to significantly expand Tividale Mosque in Gate Street have met ongoing resistance from Sandwell Council planners due to inadequate parking provisions. The proposal aims to more than triple the mosque’s floorspace to 1,280 square metres, incorporating a dome, minarets, additional prayer areas, classrooms, and a mortuary. However, the council remains concerned about a stark parking shortfall and potential highway safety risks.
The planning committee was originally scheduled to decide on the expansion in June but postponed the decision after highlighting the discrepancy between the mosque’s increased size and the minimal parking offered. The committee will reconvene on July 29, with council planners maintaining their objections.
While the mosque asserts its congregation size will remain steady at around 80 worshippers and most attendees will arrive on foot, the council disputes this, noting no convincing evidence has been provided to support these claims—especially given the prayer hall is set to expand by 300%. According to parking standards, the site would require approximately 237 parking spaces to accommodate demand, yet the mosque’s application includes only 15 spaces—barely 6% of the required number.
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Highways officers have urged a reduction in the prayer hall’s floor space to align with the stated number of worshippers and prevent future increases that would exacerbate the parking issue. However, the mosque has been unwilling to revise its plans accordingly. Council planners warn that the combination of the mosque’s enlarged footprint, insufficient off-road parking, and narrow surrounding roads poses significant highway safety concerns.
At the June meeting, mosque trustees clarified a misinformation error in the application which stated 800 worshippers attend Friday prayers—the mosque’s busiest period—when the actual figure is closer to 80. Nonetheless, the council estimates at least 160 parking spaces would still be required during peak times.
Martin Faulkner, the mosque’s architect and application agent, presented a less expansive single-storey alternative building, which would require 80 parking spaces. However, this alternative still falls short of parking requirements and the plans indicate intentions for further mosque expansions in the future.
With unresolved parking issues and safety concerns, Sandwell Council’s planners remain firmly opposed to the current proposal’s scale and parking arrangement until satisfactory solutions are provided.