COUNCILLORS will decide tonight whether to sell a town centre car park in Clitheroe as a site for a mosque.

Ribble Valley Council's policy and finance committee is being asked for a decision over an approach from the town's Muslim community to buy the car park in Peel Street.

The proposal will come under a discussion on money tied up in council assets.

It is likely to cause a new furore among residents who bitterly opposed a mosque plan in a nearby street last year. Councillors turned down a request by resident Mohammed Arshad to build a mosque on an end terrace in Holden Street, also in the town centre.

The refusal, currently the subject of an appeal, caused a storm of protest among the town's Muslim community, who marched the streets in a placard-waving protest. Nearby residents - among them a Muslim family - had argued the development would be "unneighbourly" and cause noise and traffic problems.

Councillors will hear tonight that a request has been received to purchase the Peel Street car park for use as a mosque.

They will be asked to await the outcome of the Holden Street planning appeal before making a final decision on the matter.

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."

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