BOLTON Muslims were celebrating today after bulldozers were called off from their threatened mosque at the 11th hour.

Worshippers had been told by council chiefs the Islamic mission off St George's Road was illegally built on council-owned land and would be flattened.

But council bosses have now promised to let the religious centre stand as long as Muslim elders withdraw claims on the ownership of scrub land adjacent to the site.

The agreement was thrashed out between community leaders and the heads of the council just seven days before bulldozers were due to move in.

Pledged

The council has now pledged to negotiate a lease for the site.

The group - International Khatme Nabuwwat Mission - has used the former garage as a mosque and cultural education centre since 1977.

But after a battle at the county court and the appeal courts in London, mission leaders were told to leave the wooden building.

Community leader Mulani Musa Qasmi said it had been "a great day" for the Muslims but said pressure would still be kept on the council in final negotiations.

Emerging from the tough meeting with Bolton Council officers, he said: "There has been a lot of public pressure on the council. We are very pleased we managed to come to a settlement."

The Islamic mission has been regularly teaching up to 30 children as well as being used for prayer and study.

Mission members had threatened to defy the bulldozers in a stand off.

Vowed

Now Mr Qasmi has vowed to improve the present wooden structure and create a long-term building fit for its religious and community purpose.

The newsagent added: "I want to thank the Bolton Evening News for helping to keep this in the headlines.

"We lost the original fight in the courts but we can now rest easy - there will be no bulldozers out for our mosque.

"I am now aiming for it to be better, to better serve the local Muslim community."

Leader of the council Cllr Bob Howarth said: "I am pleased we are eventually making progress towards solving this problem which has soured relations between the Town Hall and Mr Qasmi for a long time.

"I hope we can negotiate a lease which will in due course lead to the members of the mission having a permanent home.

"This is of course subject to planning approval."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.