Community role for Thurnby Lodge Scout hut hit by controversy

A former Scout hut at the centre of a row over plans to lease it to a Muslim group has reopened as a community building.

The Forgotten Estates group has refurbished the property, in Thurnby Lodge, Leicester, and named it The 55th, after the Scout group that once met there.

The Forgotten Estates group was formed to oppose city council plans to allow the As-Salaam Muslim community group to take over the hut.

The council rethought the idea after months of protest by residents outside the nearby Thurnby Lodge Community Centre, where members of As-Salaam have met for prayers for the past three years.

After the rethink, city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby agreed the Forgotten Estates committee would be given the lease on the hut for two years, rent-free.

As-Salaam was offered another council-owned building, the Raven Centre, next to Thurnby Lodge Community Centre.

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