A £2MILLION Islamic girls boarding school for 400 pupils looks set to be given the go-ahead.

Councillors are being recommended to approve the new school in the grounds of the boys’ college in Moss Street, Daisyfield, Blackburn, at a meeting on Thursday.

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A petition and letters of support have been received for the development on a vacant parcel of land within the site of the College of Islamic Knowledge and Guidance and associated mosque.

But borough National Union of Teachers representative Simon Jones has attacked the plan for the new secondary school as ‘unnecessary and unwanted’.

If approved, the 40,000 square foot ‘Rawdhatul Ilm Wal Huda’, or Gardens of Knowledge and Guidance’ school , would house 200 boarding residents from around the country and possibly abroad.

It would also provide day education for another 200 girls from the Blackburn and East Lancashire area.

It follows the success of the Tauheedul trust’ approvvals Islamic Girls High School, the best performing in the borough.

The new school would consist of a detached building, partly of four floors and partly of two surrounding an internal courtyard.

It would be ‘of traditional Islamic architecture’, with a large overhanging flat rood and arched windows and doors.

The current ‘Jaimatul Ilm Wal Huda’ boys college, established in August 1997, has 450 pupils aged between 11 and 18, most of them local but some from elsewhere in the UK and from overseas.

Boys college principal Mufti Abdus-Samad Ahmed, who has submitted the application for the sister girls’ school, said: “‘Gardens of Knowledge and Guidance’ is a proposed secondary school for girls, of ages 11 and over.

“Since 1997, our Boys’ School has been providing outstanding education to hundreds of learners – many of them achieving excellent results and progressing on to further and higher education and a range of careers. “We are excited about the opportunity to provide similar outcomes to girls and young women. “Our aim is to contribute to young people having the skills and qualifications to play a full role in their communities and develop as exemplary British citizens.

“The proposed plan received overwhelming support from local residents. “A couple of concerns have been raised, which we are working to resolve.”

Two residents have objected to the plan, with one saying: “If this building goes ahead we will be overlooked.”

The second warns of traffic gridlock’ if the school goes ahead.

The Tauheedul Trust had to abandon plans for its boys secondary school on Clarence Street over problems with parking and playing fields.

Mr Jones, Blackburn with Darwen NUT representative, said: “The problem with independent schools, free schools and indeed academies is they are all outside of the local authority control, so it make the coherent planning for school admission numbers impossible.

“It further undermines community cohesion.

“We also do not know if it is an excuse to employ unqualified teachers.

“These kinds of schools are unnecessary and unwanted. It will have a devastating impact on other schools in the area, as we have already seen with the Olive School.”

A report to the committee by borough planning officers recommends approval of the scheme with conditions.