CONTROVERSIAL businessman Paul Dew says another major mosque may be built in the Daneshouse area of Burnley.

He claims there is interest by a 500 strong local Pakistani group to build on land he controls on the former Oswald Street gas works site.

And in a letter to local developers, Barnfield Construction, he says the mosque would be 3,000 square metres - similar in size to the major town centre mosque in Nelson.

Mr Dew, who formerly owned the town centre Moses Building - now a night club - in Red Lion Street, says he hopes the remainder of the site will be developed for residential use with 90 houses.

But he has warned that if sufficient progress and planning permission is not made, before August 1, the proposals could be withdrawn.

Mr Dew, who is also interested in developing a major area of open land in the Lowerhouse area - sparking concern among residents in the area - says the contract for the building of a mosque could be coupled with that for the new homes and a construction company is being sought.

A spokesman for the Islamic mosque group concerned, declined to comment.

News of the mosque proposal comes just days after Burnley council gave the go-ahead for a large new Bangladeshi mosque on council land at Burns Street.

The 2,000 strong Bangladeshi community says it aims to spend £400,000 on the mosque and education centre.

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