Residents in Bournemouth are battling plans to expand a mosque that they say already causes significant disruption to daily life.
In Winton, locals are opposing proposals to extend the Jamei Mosque, who has a capacity of 600 people, citing the place of worship already causes disruption to the residential area.
The mosque, housed in a large detached property, wants to convert its roof space to accommodate additional worshippers.
Neighbours have raised a series of grievances, from being disturbed by pre-dawn prayers and amplified sound from the Imam’s microphone to the racket of vehicles crossing the gravel car park late at night.
Illegal parking on surrounding streets — including on double yellow lines, near junctions and across driveways — has become a persistent issue, with verbal confrontations reportedly breaking out between locals and those attending the mosque, the Daily Mail reports.
Beverley Gilbert, a 62-year-old retail worker who has lived on the street for 34 years, said the disturbances have made it difficult for her household to get any rest.
“I was woken at 4.30am today and it seems like there are prayers every day, at all hours of the day,” she said.
Ms Gilbert insisted she had no problem with the mosque’s existence but argued it must “respect and abide by the rules” established by Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Council.
She pointed out anyone else playing loud music would be expected to stop by 11pm.
The Jamei Mosque is located in the Bournemouth suburb of Winton
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The amplified sound from microphones used during worship carries into her home despite double glazing, she said, adding that her eight-year-old grandchild “cries because she can’t get to sleep”.
The crunch of tyres on the gravel car park late at night compounds the problem, Ms Gilbert said, along with loud conversation as worshippers depart.
A second resident, who asked not to be named, recalled the mosque had been small and trouble-free when it first opened more than two decades ago.
A surge in worshipper numbers in recent years, however, has meant the site has “outgrown itself for its location”, she said.
It is understood locals have clashed with worshippers over illegal parking as they attend the place of worship
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Friday prayers bring the worst of the parking chaos, she warned.
“There are so many cars parked illegally, especially for Friday prayers, that I fear it’s an accident waiting to happen,” she said.
Vehicles lining both sides of the narrow residential streets right up to the corners leave other motorists with virtually no visibility, she added.
The area’s tight roads were simply not designed to cope with the volume of traffic the mosque now generates.
The dispute has spilled over into heated exchanges, with residents claiming shouting matches have erupted over parking.
Ms Gilbert said her cars have been blocked in and when she has asked people to move their vehicles, she has been “shouted at”.
The anonymous resident raised a further concern about personal safety, saying it can feel “intimidating if you are a woman and you are walking alone along the road after prayers have ended with so many people gathered on the street”.
She also warned the proposed extension would overlook her garden, compromising her privacy.
Neighbour Delia Harris expressed alarm that any growth in the number of men using the property would cause “severe disruption” to the community.
Growing friction between the two sides shows little sign of easing, residents said.
The expansion proposals encompass a meeting room and a women and children’s assembly area as part of a first-floor extension built into the existing roof space.
Residents have been keen to emphasise their opposition is rooted in legitimate planning concerns rather than any racial motivation.
“I’m not racist but I think it is important to respect others and follow the rules,” Ms Gilbert said.
The mosque itself appears aware of the friction.
A sign displayed on its wall calls on worshippers to “respect our neighbours when leaving” and instructs them to depart the area swiftly and quietly.
It also explicitly asks attendees not to park on double yellow lines and to keep neighbours’ driveways clear.
Locals, however, say those appeals are routinely ignored.
GB News has reached out to Jamei Mosque for comment.