RE: £5 MILLION Blackburn Muslim primary school plan to get go-ahead – despite dozens of objections (LT, January 21).

As this proposed development is for Muslim girls only, does this herald the return to other ‘faith’ schools in Blackburn? Will we see St Bede’s return to being a Catholic school, and St Wilfrid’s a Church of England school, not to mention the return of numerous Methodist schools in the borough?

If so, why has national and local policy done a dramatic u-turn? What has happened to the arguments over the past decades about the damage this does to social cohesion and integration?

On the other hand, if there has been no change in national and local authority policy, why is an exception being made for the Muslim faith? If approved by our councillors, this will be a very retrograde step.

Noel Eke, Blackburn (via email)