LEADERS of Southampton’s Muslim community have joined the criticism of controversial plans for twin tower blocks housing hundreds of students.

A 20-storey and a 14-storey block of flats housing 686 students are earmarked for Charlotte Place in St Mary’s Road at the heart of one of the city’s most ethnically diverse areas.

Southampton City Council approved the scheme – drawn up by Bouygues Development – last month, despite widespread opposition to the proposals, which include 154 flats and space for community facilities.

The scheme was opposed by a nearby resident who formed the Charlotte Place Campaign Group to fight the plans.

Now Southampton Muslim Council information officer Mohammad Khan has added his voice, complaining that the extra students would put even more pressure on parking in the area, especially on Friday prayers when more than 2,000 worshippers congregate at three mosques in the neighbourhood.

Mr Khan is secretary at the Abu Bakr Masjid in Argyle Road, where 1,200 Muslims pray on Fridays and hundreds of people attend religious events during the week and in the evenings.

‘A disaster’ He said: “Parking is already a nightmare, so if all these extra people are moving into the area where are people going to park?

“It’s going to be a disaster – they don’t give a damn about the community.”

He stressed many worshippers arrive on foot, but that the elderly and disabled and those coming from as far afield as Chandler’s Ford and Winchester had no choice but to drive to the mosque.

Kurshid Drabu is chairman of the Medina Mosque in St Mary’s Road, where more than 700 people attend Friday prayers.

He said: “We are absolutely flabbergasted the way the council has bulldozed this process through and have taken very little account of the concerns raised by the local community.

“We will have hundreds of students living next door to the mosque and their life is full of joy and mischief but a place of worship is a place that requires reverence and we feel disturbance is likely to be caused.

“There is going to be huge parking problems and you have got to have the infrastructure before you can have a huge block of flats.”

Ahmed Hussain, vice chairman of the Razvia Dar-ul-Uloom and Masjid, also off St Marys Road, said: “The students are our future assets and they need somewhere to live, but the residents around here would like to live peacefully too.

“The extra people moving to the area can make things difficult, especially with the parking.”

Restrictions Bouygues’ head of region Tom Jelley said the company would make it clear to students before they arrive that they will not receive residents’ parking permits for the area.

He added: “With these restrictions in place, we have taken a proactive approach which will include avoiding student pick up and drop off on Fridays to accommodate the mosques, nor will drop offs or pick ups be permitted on Saturdays when Southamp-ton Football Club are playing at home.

“As part of the consultation process we have also agreed to provide CCTV around the site, linked up to the city-wide programme to help monitor behaviour in the area.”