Plans lodged for Perth’s first purpose-built mosque

The proposed mosque and community centre on Jeanfield Road is intended to cater for the city’s growing Muslim population, which currently stands at around 650 people.

The building has been designed by Shahed Saleem of London-based Makespace Architects, who also designed the Shahporan Mosque in East London and the new mosque in Aberdeen.

The site at 43-51 Jeanfield Road, which was acquired by Perth Islamic Society in 2017, was previously a light industrial site with warehouse buildings, some of which have been demolished.

“Since 2017 the community have been exploring a number of design studies to find the appropriate quantum of development that is proportionate to the community needs now and anticipating the future,” the architects submitted.

“Some of the design studies explored retaining the front building and/or redeveloping the site in phases, before it was considered most feasible to redevelop the site with a single comprehensive scheme.

“The design has also sought to inhabit the site by balancing respect for the residential scale of the neighbourhood, whilst also introducing an important civic building into the street scene.”

The proposal submitted to planning authorities is for a part two- and part three-storey building. The building is entered via a double height foyer, from which the prayer halls and other facilities are accessed. The community centre is on the lower level, with its own independent access from the car park.

The prayer hall forms the dominant and central part of the building, and is a double height space incorporating a balcony floor, with a total height of eight metres. As it is set back from the road, the size of the hall is mitigated so that it is not overbearing on the street scene.