Press release: Pressure mounts on Olympic mega-mosque group to leave site after breaking legal undertaking (29/05/12)

Pressure mounts on Olympic mega-mosque group to leave site after breaking legal undertaking

Local opposition group alerts local community through leaflet campaign

Pressure is mounting on Tablighi Jama'at (TJ), the fundamentalist group behind the proposed West Ham mega-mosque, to leave the site and demolish their temporary mosque buildings as a result of its failure to keep to a binding and voluntary undertaking made to Newham Council in February last year.

At the time of a Public Inquiry into TJ's continued occupancy of the site, the group signed a Deed of Undertaking with Newham Council that it would submit valid plans by February 2012 or cease using the site. They promised further that, if they failed on this Undertaking, they would carry out works to remove buildings, fixtures and car park hardstanding.

Planning lawyers have advised that TJ have no right of appeal against these penalties.

"Not for the first time TJ has failed to keep an undertaking," said Alan Craig, director of the local MegaMosqueNoThanks opposition campaign. "The group has an history of breaking planning laws, flouting building regulations and breaching solemn agreements. Its track record is one of negligence and irresponsibility. We are urging Newham Council to move them off the site and to knock down the buildings."

So far over 3,000 leaflets have been distributed to residents near the site by volunteers from the MegaMosqueNoThanks team. The leaflets tell how and why the Council has a golden opportunity to remove TJ from the site. (Copy of the leaflet is attached for information.) "TJ are fundamentalist, separatist, sexist and anti-social and, if built, their mega-mosque would do real harm to community relations and integration," said Alan Craig."Newham Council must pull the legal trigger now and clear the site for other and better community use."