No legal challenge to mosque decision

Twm Owen, local democracy reporter

A threatened legal challenge to a decision to allow a former library to be used as a mosque won’t be going ahead.

A pre-action letter, on behalf of three county councillors and one individual, was sent to Monmouthshire County Council in September warning they intended seeking a judicial review of the decision to lease the disused 120-year-old grade II-listed building to the Monmouthshire Muslim Community Association who intend using it as a community centre and mosque.

Conservative councillors Louise Brown and Rachel Buckler along with independent Simon Howarth had previously failed to overturn the decision using the council’s procedure for calling in and reviewing cabinet decisions.

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Christian Concern

Advocacy body Christian Concern and its Christian Legal Centre arm said it was supporting the three, and resident John Hardwick, in their intention to seek a judicial review of the decision.

It said it would do so unless the council withdrew the 30-year lease offer and started what it called, “a new, transparent tender process” and set the authority a September 19 deadline to respond before it would begin any legal proceedings.

Monmouthshire County Council has said it has since received confirmation the judicial review won’t be progressed.

It is understood a decision to discontinue the challenge was taken following receipt of the council’s response to the initial deadline.

A spokesman for Monmouthshire County Council said it had previously confirmed receipt of the pre-action protocol letter and it would respond “accordingly”.

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Challenge

The spokesman said: “The council can now confirm that it has received confirmation that there will be no judicial review.

“The council has absolute confidence in its decision-making and governance arrangements. Any attempt to frustrate the democratically agreed position of the council will be met with an appropriate challenge. That said, there will be no comment on any new or additional legal matters until they are concluded.”

Monmouthshire’s Labour-led cabinet agreed in May to lease the building, it had deemed surplus to requirements the previous November, to the Muslim Community Association who currently met at the Abergavenny Catholic Church parish hall.

The library, built for £4,000 and funded by the Carnegie Foundation established by Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, closed in 2015 when the service transferred to the town hall and was last used as a pupil referral unit for children unable to attend mainstream school.