(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - It was the casting vote of Middlesbrough Council’s planning committee chairman Councillor John Cole that saw the £4.5m project given the go-ahead.

The existing Mosque in Park Road North, opposite Albert Park, will be demolished and replaced.

The new four-storey mosque will be 15m (49ft) high, with its dome adding a further 8m (26ft) to its height.

Ali Bin Ali Luft, chairman of the Muslim Federation in Cleveland, said the mosque was established in 1989.

One of the reasons for needing a new building was the number of Teesside University students now attending.

Rafiq Mogra, architect for the project, told the planning committee: “It will be a nice building for everyone to appreciate and will be very expensive to build.”

Middlesbrough Independent Councillors Association councillor Peter Cox said: “It is a lovely looking building but it is too big.”

“I am also concerned about the parking that is available. The provision of 26 basement car-parking spaces will not make a big difference.”

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