AN Islamic charity has been refused permission to extend the opening hours of its faith and community centre in Basildon.

The South Essex Islamic Trust was looking to gain approval to make the conditions of a year-long trial period permanent.

They wished to operate between the hours of 4.30am and 12.30am in order for the centre to encompass all five periods of daily prayer as observed by practising Muslims.

The two-storey building in Vange which is occupied by the trust was converted into a place of worship and venue for the local community in 2021 after previously functioning as The Barge Inn pub.

The report by Basildon Council’s head of planning recommended the change of opening hours for approval.

Addressing the committee, a member of South Essex Islamic Trust’s management team said: “Throughout this process we have complied with every condition and considered the needs of residents.”

Planning officer David Gill told the committee that a complaint by councillor Craig Rimmer over parking was the only official complaint received by the council during the 12 month trial period.

However, a number of councillors in attendance at the meeting on October 11 joined Mr Rimmer in objecting to the application.

Basildon’s deputy mayor Yetunde Adeshile said that she “unfortunately” had to raise concerns on behalf of the residents of her ward.

She said complaints over parking and noise nuisances had appeared on social media “almost every week”, and that a high number of Vange residents are “elderly, and are not confident in approaching the Islamic Centre” in order to voice their worries.

Ms Adeshile told the committee she had previously approached the council on behalf of her ward’s residents, but had been told nothing could be done.

Councillor Andrew Schrader attributed the lack of action and official complaints logged with the council to “noise nuisance being very difficult to deal with after the fact” due to generally being handled by the environmental health authority.

Mr Schrader went on to say that his concerns surrounding increased noise and parking difficulties in the vicinity of centre stemmed from the building itself having “no capacity for growth”.