Shadwell school listing causes 'tremendous blow' for developers

DEVELOPERS wanting to demolish a former East End school to make way for an eight-storey mosque hit out this week after the building was listed by English Heritage.Architects called it a tremendous blow to the community , after the former Victorian Lower

DEVELOPERS wanting to demolish a former East End school to make way for an eight-storey mosque hit out this week after the building was listed by English Heritage.

Architects called it "a tremendous blow to the community", after the former Victorian Lower Chapman Street Board School in Bigland Street in Shadwell was declared a Grade II listed building.

Tower Hamlets council gave the go-ahead earlier this year for the building which is home to the Darul Ummah Community to be torn down and replaced by an eight-storey building with three basement levels.

The centre which also houses the private Muslim boys' school Jamiatal Ummah would move into the new building which will also be used as a mosque and house funeral facilities, a gym and a caf�.

Harshad Patel, Director of P.A. Architects LTD, the agent for the applicant Dawatul Islam group, insisted the new building was needed to house more school pupils and worshippers.

He said: "This would have given a tremendous boost to the community. It would have brought energy into the deprived area and provide something for people to aspire to.

"But this is a nonsensical, bureaucratic bungle and a political ploy.

"I have not spoken at long length with my client yet but a lot of the community's money has been spent on this so it is not just going to give up.