Edwardian house in Dewsbury

An attractive town house in Dewsbury with marvellous high chimneys is to be demolished to make way for an extension to a religious building.

http://www.kirklees.gov.uk/business/planning/application_search/detail.aspx?id=2015%2f92174

This is an interesting case, as the loss of the building in question would be to allow for the extension of a religious building. I respect that the council needs to offer provisions for the building of places of worship – West Yorkshire’s Muslim community has become part of the quintessential character of the region. As such I suppose this location is as good as the next, but it remains that this is the loss of an attractive old building the likes of which can no longer be built.

I would challenge the developer to see if such an old building could be modified into a mosque, or perhaps even look to some of our redundant industrial buildings or the methodist churches and schools that we are in the process of losing. That would be an interesting integration of cultures, and be a unique addition to the industrial landscape of the region.