Burial site for damaged Korans must be removed, council rules
It was once home to allotments – but now a secluded site in West Yorkshire is at the centre of a planning row after the appearance of a shrine-like structure.
The construction, consisting of nine tall pillars on a marble base, is the subject of a council enforcement order requiring all materials to be removed.
Residents of Sowerby Bridge, near Halifax, reported seeing copies of the Koran, the central religious text of Islam, being buried next to the white monument.
Videos were also shared by Rest Gardens, a firm that collects worn-out or damaged Korans and provides them with an Islamic burial, to avoid their common disposal along with other waste.
The Environment Agency has called for an end to the "illegal" burials at the site off Wood Nook Lane.
Documents seen by The Telegraph describe how Calderdale council "considers that the harm caused to the character and appearance of the area by the unauthorised development" is such that it is "expedient" to issue an enforcement notice.
SWNS
"The steps required by the notice in respect to the columns and marble slab structure elements of the structure are considered necessary and proportionate to remedy the identified planning harm," the enforcement notice, served earlier this year, reads.
"The columns and marble slab structure are situated in a prominent location within the site and are visible from outside the site, including from surrounding land and public vantage points.
"As such, they form part of the public-facing appearance of the development and have a material influence on its overall visual impact."
An appeal has been submitted against the enforcement notice, which will be considered by the planning inspectorate.
Meanwhile, a petition initiated by residents calling for the structure to be removed has collected more than 1,220 signatures.
Adam Wilkinson, a Labour councillor for Sowerby Bridge, said the inspectorate had yet to "formally open" the appeal.
He added: "I feel the frustration from residents who feel the planning rules are not being adhered to. I live locally. Nobody wants an eyesore or an alleged illegal waste site nearby.
"I am aware of worries from residents about the Korans being buried and the worry that an illegal burial may have taken place.
"It's clear people are currently finding it too easy to avoid enforcement action – I welcome the Government's moves to get a firmer grip of problem waste sites."
Adam Wilkinson, a local councillor, said: 'I feel the frustration from residents who feel the planning rules are not being adhered to' - AB Gray/SWNS
An Environment Agency spokesman told The Telegraph: "Illegal waste activities of any kind are a blight on local communities and we are supporting the local council to tackle reports of fly tipping at this site.
"We have been clear that these activities are not allowed under waste-management legislation and should stop immediately.
"We are cracking down on waste criminals, have stepped up enforcement action with our 10-point plan and want to make it clear that anyone found flouting the law will be held accountable."
Residents of Sowerby Bridge, whose population is 1.5 per cent Muslim, have called on council officials to exercise their planning powers to have the plot fully investigated.
A residents' group wrote: "This petition is not directed against any religion, faith, or community. We respect the right of all people to practice their beliefs lawfully.
"Our concern is that significant changes to land use and development should comply with the same planning and environmental standards that apply to everyone." Other residents have called it a "disgrace", a "joke" and an "eyesore".
One local said: "The place looks dreadful and it should be held to the same accountability as all other sites, regardless of what religion you are."
Mohammed Khorshid, a director of Rest Gardens and occupant of the site, told The Telegraph the slab structure had been in place for more than five years.
"The platform is [an] area we use to take breaks meet and arrange our gardening activities whilst on the site as a meeting point," he said.
The structure's columns are each adorned with a Union Flag or flag of St George - Charley Atkins/SWNS
Drone images show the memorial with nine standing columns, all each adorned with a Union Flag or flag of St George.
Addressing the flags on the poles, Mr Khorshid said: "After being labelled as immigrants coming on a boat and facing racial attacks, we decided to place poles with British flags to educate the haters that we're British, not migrants who have arrived on a boat."
He added that the construction of the structure and the Koran burials had been addressed and claimed that he and his colleagues were acting "within the law".
A spokesman for residents of the area told The Telegraph that Mr Khorshid had "stretched the tolerance of the local community to breaking point over the years" by "dumping and burying" waste and materials, including Korans.
They added: "We feel this has no purpose or alignment to his intended use of allotments, the existing landscape or residential community. It is an eyesore. Regulations are ignored. No planning permission sought. Consultations non existent."
Hasan Khurshid Rafiq, who is named in Land Registry documents as owner of the site, was approached for a comment.
A Calderdale council spokesman said: "We are aware of the structure. As the council is actively involved in a planning enforcement process at present, including the serving of a planning enforcement notice, we are unable to comment further at this time."
