A closed Crown Street motorbike showroom could be turned into a new Aberdeen mosque.
The former Shirlaws, at 92 Crown Street, has been shut for more than three years following the firm’s flit to Wellington Circle.
Documents sent to the council explain that the Madressa Educational Cultural Centre Aberdeen (Mecca) group have been eyeing up the building as members run out of room at their current base nearby…
The group has had a mosque at Crown Terrace since 2006, but it is now “not big enough for their followers”.
It also has no “defined female prayer hall”.
This has been a problem for leaders for some time, who have considered adding a first floor to the building and shared space with the church next door in the meantime.
How would Crown Street showroom become new Aberdeen mosque?
The shuttered showroom was built as a church in the late 19th century, and later became the Aberdeen Car Mart.
Shirlaws operated from the building for decades before closing in 2022.
Under the new plans, a shop would be created on the ground floor.
Architects say they would form a “large prayer hall for males” on the first floor, while a new second floor would be created with meeting rooms and a prayer hall for women.
Meanwhile, the small extension on the corner of Crown Street and Academy Street would be used as a cafe.
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And the extension along Academy Street would become a disabled prayer hall.
You can see the proposal in full on the Aberdeen City Council website.
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