RACIST outsiders have been accused of hijacking a residents' meeting to stir up trouble over a planned Islamic school.

Concerned Councillor Ashley Whalley said anonymous leaflets were given out in the Higher Croft area of Blackburn telling residents that the meeting at Ivy Street Community Centre was about the Islamic boarding school to be opened in the former Park Lee Hospital.

Coun Whalley, a Higher Croft councillor, said he believed racists from outside Higher Croft had distributed the leaflets to try and stir up trouble at the meeting.

He said: "About 40 people turned up, but they were told the meeting was for residents of the Infirmary area, not about the boarding school, and so they left, but they had an informal meeting with me outside. "I heard all kinds of rumours. Someone was claiming that the council has given a £2million grant to the new owners of Park Lee and that Blackburn Royal Infirmary had already been sold to be turned into a giant mosque.

"It is all nonsense. What is disturbing is that, as usual in Blackburn, there are elements that want to exploit cultural differences to make trouble."

The hospital was sold to the group of Islamic scholars in May by the Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Health Care NHS Trust after it had been on the market for more than six months.

The scholars did not need planning permission to convert it because schools and hospitals fall under the same planning regulations. Coun Whalley said: "I do feel that the health authority has let local people down by not explaining better what its intentions were."

He said some residents were upset that they had not been consulted and had been concerned about the impact the new school may have.

They had been worried about parking, noise levels, the effect on the nearby hospice and other issues, but were liaising with school official Mr Ahmed who was dealing with their queries.

Mr Ahmed said he wanted to reassure local people that there would not be a loudspeaker for calls to prayer.

He said: "It will probably be a girls' school but even if it is a boys' school we won't have a loudspeaker.

"We won't be building a mosque, we will just be using one of the halls as a prayer room or as a mosque. We don't want to be a problem for anyone. If any of the neighbours are concerned about anything, they are always welcome to come and meet us."

Mr Ahmed said they had had some problems with burglars when they first bought the property but they were now settling in and work was progressing well.

Builders are also erecting a fence to separate the hospice grounds from the school, which will have a separate entrance off Park Lee Road.

Coun Whalley said: "Mr Ahmed has been very open. The residents are happy to have the school there as long as the officials take note of their concerns. I think the residents and school can exist together quite peacefully."

An open day will be held at the school before it opens in September so local people can look around.

Coun Whalley also aims to organise a private meeting between residents and school officials.

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