3:43pm Saturday 23rd August 2008
By Manisha Mistry
PLANS for a new community centre in North Harrow with a “futuristic design” were put on show this morning.
The owners of the current North Harrow Community Centre in Station Road, the Battlers Wells (BW) Foundation, have recently submitted revised plans to Harrow Council to be considered.
In September last year, the Muslim group held a consultation on their plans and designs, which were met with opposition from local people.
Samantha Sen, who deals with PR for the group said from the feedback collated from the consultation, they have adapted the plans in line with what people had said.
The organisation's plans are to demolish the current assembly hall and replace it with a new centre, sports hall, five-a-side football pitch, a children's play area, 24-bedroom nursing home, a library and a prayer room.
There will also be eight flats built on the site, a gym with separate areas for men and women, seminar rooms and a restaurant and cafe.
Dr Nizar Merali of the BW Foundation, said: “This development will integrate all the communities and cultures. It will not just be for the Muslims in Harrow.
“The idea behind this is to contribute something to the society we grew up in.
“If given permission, the building will have a futuristic design. We are taking a risk with its look but it is something different.
“We have already got a Mosque in Harrow and the idea isn't to have a centre for Muslims, it is to allow everyone to come in.
“As a GP, I have seen there is a dyer need for facilities for the youth of the borough.
“That was one of the ideas behind having a sports centre on the site.”
Information on show at the exhibition showed during the group's consultation period, 79 per cent of people who responded agreed with the plans as they were.
For the next two Saturdays, an open exhibition will be held at the centre in Station Road between 9.30am and 12.30pm.
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