Plans afoot for Islamic University

Sep 30 2010 by Alistair Watson, West Lothian Courier

University

PLANS are afoot to build a national Islamic University on the site of Bangour Village Hospital.

The Courier can exclusively reveal secret talks have taken place between a Birmingham-based Islamic Trust, NHS Lothian and West Lothian Council about basing a residential university on the site of the abandoned hospital.

A delegation from the Mohiuddin Trust visited West Lothian last week and met with council planning officials as they toured the site near Dechmont.

The Mohiuddin Trust is a charitable organisation established in 2004 with the aim of “improving the plight of the impoverished and the under-privileged people from deprived communities around the world”.

The group were also given a tour of the civic centre and even sat in on cases at Livingston Sheriff Court as they got a full flavour of life in the county.

A council source confirmed to the Courier that talks had taken place.

They said: “It is really early days but the concept is based on using the existing buildings. The people involved are credible and the council think they have the means to do what they are proposing.

“However, the ball is not in their court as the land is still owned by NHS Lothian.

“The problem is they don’t want the whole site but only a part of it. It’s not going to be an easy decision for NHS Lothian and I’m led to believe they have not even considered it yet at board level.

“It is a tough one for NHS Lothian as some of these buildings are listed. They will be under pressure to do something with the buildings in the long-term and in the shorter-term they can’t let them fall into disrepair.”

The council source said the meetings had gone well and the delegation believed they could convert the existing buildings for use as a university.

They added: “They wanted to see the place and see if it had any potential for them.

“The feedback the council has had is good and the location between Glasgow and Edinburgh near motorway links and railway stations makes it attractive to them.

“If it is to go any further there has to be a positive reaction from the local people. There is a danger that any negative publicity about it will kill it at this stage.

“They said they relish the opportunity of engaging with the local people. It is something they want to include them in not exclude them from.”

Neither NHS Lothian nor West Lothian Council would directly confirm the interest from the Mohiuddin Trust.

George Curley, Associate Director of Facilities, NHS Lothian, said: “Bangour Village Hospital is currently on the open market and, as expected, over recent months we have received enquiries from interested parties.”

A West Lothian Council spokesman added: “The former Bangour Village Hospital is being sold by NHS Lothian. No planning applications for the re-use of the site and its listed buildings have been submitted to West Lothian Council at this time.”

No one from the Mohiuddin Trust was available for comment as the Courier went to press.