Plans for Britain’s largest Muslim cemetery based in a Lancashire village have been revived by the former owners of Asda.
Billionaire siblings, Mohsin and Zuber Issa, are pressing ahead with their ambition to construct the country’s largest Muslim burial ground despite facing repeated setbacks from planning authorities.
The proposed Memorial Garden near Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire would eclipse the Gardens of Peace in east London as Britain’s biggest Islamic cemetery, featuring a funeral parlour and prayer halls alongside thousands of burial plots.
Local officials have twice turned down the application, yet the brothers have confirmed they remain fully committed to the venture, which they have pursued for four years in the village of just over 10,800 residents.
Planning bosses cited two primary objections when the scheme was last considered.
Officers determined the cemetery would produce a “harmful effect on [the] appearance of the area” whilst also presenting an “unacceptable risk of pollution of groundwater”.
These concerns prompted the Issa brothers to withdraw their application in October.
The project forms part of the siblings’ broader efforts to expand their presence in Lancashire, where they have also proposed a mosque featuring 95ft-high minarets and a £3million dental surgery.
The proposals have been rejected twice by local officials (stock pic)
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Near their childhood home in the Brookhouse area, the brothers are additionally constructing several substantial residential properties.
A proposal to transform the site into a nature reserve has been rejected by the Issa Foundation.
Conservative councillor Zak Khan and community activist Vinette Davitt had written to the brothers’ charity suggesting the land be converted into “a network of enhanced habitats and attractive landscapes”.
The foundation responded by confirming it would submit a fresh planning application for the graveyard instead.
The village of Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire is the chosen location
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WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
A spokesman for the charity stated it had offered to meet Mr Khan to discuss his alternative vision, “but this offer was declined due to community concerns about the cemetery project”.
The foundation added: “We remain of the view that our proposal respectfully protects the land from built development while equally offering environmental and community benefits.”
The brothers have already significantly reduced the scope of their proposal following earlier objections.
Their revised application cut burial plots from 35,000 to 12,250 and decreased parking provision from over 660 spaces to 387.
Nevertheless, opposition remains fierce. A local Conservative councillor has claimed more than 10,000 residents stand against the scheme, whilst campaigners argue the development is still “huge” and would occupy “over half of the green belt” in the vicinity.
The foundation indicated its advisers had recommended continuing work on the cemetery plans, stating: “We have consistently prioritised high-quality landscaping, respecting public access, and celebrating the natural character of Oswaldtwistle and the surrounding area.”