A disused church in Watford is set to be turned into a mosque, after it was left derelict due to structural issues.
St Thomas’ United Reformed Church in Langley Road, Nascot, has been empty since it closed in 2015. Despite planning permission for renovations being approved twice, it was never revamped as a church.
Instead, it has been purchased for £3.5 million by the Ar-Rahamah Trust, who plan to turn it into a mosque.
They hope to open the building under the new name Masjid Al-Ummah in 2026.
The project has raised over £500k on charitable site Launchgood, and still needs over £100k to go.
Ar-Rahamah say they want to establish the building as “a modern space”, featuring “a self-sustaining hub for prayer and education”. It will also feature a women's gym, nursery and food bank.
The project says: “The Watford Muslim community has grown from a small group to a vibrant and diverse population of 15,000.
“While existing masjids and musallahs have served us well, the demand for space, especially during Jummah and Ramadan, has outgrown current facilities.”
At the latest 2021 census, 44.1 per cent of people described themselves as Christian - a drop of almost ten per cent since 2011. Watford's Muslim population grew by three per cent.