Essex Jamme Masjid Trust is a charity registered organisation established in 1986. Since then, we have been serving the local community with a range of services that have increased over time as well as continuing the regular practises for the Muslim community. Essex Jamme Masjid closely works with key organisations in Southend including, the council, Essex Police, the NHS, local schools and teaching alliances as well as other faith institutions and groups.

We have endeavoured to organise regular activities that promotes positive community behaviour and anti-terrorism programmes with the Essex Police team that liaises with us.

In 2008, we moved into our current address on Chelmsford Avenue. We run daily activities such as the core five prayers, a weekend supplementary school for children and the Friday Jumuah prayer. A few years ago, the council changed the parking restrictions around the mosque area which has made it increasingly difficult for the community to access the facilities provided, especially for the Friday prayers.

To support this, the council provided the mosque with visitor permits. However, recently, the council informed us that they would no longer be providing us with these permits. This has placed our congregation and any visitors to the mosque in great difficulty. With a small car park, we cannot facilitate for the community, even though we provide essential services to them. The public car parks that are located in the surrounding areas are quite far and too far for parents with children or for the elderly. We regularly advise all attendees to use public transport, to cycle or to walk to the mosque. However, the transport links are not so numerous and many people come from different areas of Southend.

Due to the issues stated above, we implore Southend council to lift the parking restrictions from 12:30pm until 2:30pm on Fridays. We ask that council permit the worshippers to park in resident bays and on single yellow line on the surrounding roads (Chelmsford Avenue, Harcourt Avenue, Boston Avenue, Colchester Road, Baxter Avenue, Swayne Avenue, North Road).

Also, we requesting to change the parking restriction Monday to Saturday on those streets to “resident permit holders or pay and display” like many other areas of Southend. It will solve our worshipper daily parking problem and council will make profit from the scheme. It will also not affect the parking right of the residents. 

We are aware that there are many councils in England that support their local mosques by facilitating parking for them such as Tower Hamlets Borough Council and Newham Council.

We would be extremely grateful if you could consider all of the above and make a positive decision.

If you require further information on this matter, please contact me on 07930763164 or email me on:  info@essexmasjid.com