Bury St Edmunds plans to convert The Vineyard Centre, in Out Westgate, into mosque and community centre

Plans have been submitted to convert a vacant historic building in Bury St Edmunds into a permanent space for the town’s growing Muslim community.

Adbul Rashid, of Bury St Edmunds Islamic Cultural Organisation (BICO), is seeking permission to turn The Vineyard Centre, in Out Westgate, into a mosque and community centre.

For the past 20 years, BICO has had to hire various halls for its Friday prayers and community services.

It is hoped having a dedicated building would allow the organisation to provide a range of services for local Muslims and help them engage with the wider community.

In addition to converting the ground floor into the worship space, part of the first floor would be converted into a living space for an Imam.

Another part of the first floor would become a prayer space for women, while also offering evening classes for children and an area to host inter-faith meetings.

If plans are approved, a single-storey side extension would be demolished.

The Vineyard Centre was built in 1940 as a Baptist church but has undergone several alterations in the past 80 years, including housing various businesses.

Plans to convert the site from an office into a home were approved last year. It was also a printing works before plan to convert it into a business studio was green-lit in 1989.

Planning documents said there was evidence the building was most recently used as a home and sound studio.

Due to the timing of Islamic prayers, the building is expected to operate between 9am and 11pm, Monday to Sunday, with a 30min opening slot at dawn.

The proposals will go before planners soon.