RESIDENTS and businesses are opposing plans to build on a Clitheroe town centre car park.

Members of Clitheroe's Muslim community want to buy the Peel Street car park for a mosque.

The proposal to sell the site was part of a discussion on a report on the management of council assets at a meeting of Ribble Valley Council's pollicy and finance committee.

The scheme has been put on hold until the outcome of a planning appeal over a mosque scheme proposed for an end terrace house in Holden Street.

But Louise Fearnley-Brown, proprietor of the Hair Company hair salon across the road from the car park, said her business would be affected if the car park was lost. "It is an inappropriate site. It is a valuable car park. My customers use it. I have spent 15 years building my salon into a thriving business and to lose parking for my customers would be disastrous," she said.

One resident, who didn't want to be named, said: "We would lose our view and it would bring down the prices of our properties. It is a crazy idea."

But Mohammed Arshad said today Clitheroe's Muslim community would not be deterred in their mosque campaign.

"We are hopeful of success in the appeal, but in the meantime will not give up our search for an alternative site.

"We want a place of worship. We are desperate and determined.

"We will not give up until we have a mosque," he said.

Legal services director Paul Timson said: "Over the past 18 months, the council has been undertaking a rigorous review of its assets, with a view to making better use of those which are underused and disposing of those for which no potential council use can be identified in the forseeable future.

"The review has been successful, not only in making better use of the council's assets, but also in generating much-needed capital.

"The report makes recommendations in respect of some additional sites where there is a potential for increased income or capital."

Councillors last year turned down a request by resident Mohammed Arshad to build a mosque on an end terrace in Holden Street, also in the town centre.

And at last night's meeting they decided to await the outcome of a planning appeal on the matter before holding discussions on whether to sell the Peel Street car park.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.