The Wokingham Islamic Centre has acted to correct significant misinformation published across various online channels since news emerged surrounding its purchase of the former Ritz cinema on Easthampstead Road.
The group revealed it has exchanged contracts to purchase the property and create a community hub after it was placed for sale on the open market for offers over £999,999, as first reported by Wokingham Today.
Since then, numerous references have been made on social media and elsewhere to its “plans” to convert the building into a “mosque”, however its “plans” will mean the building is only used for prayers for a few hours each week.
A spokesperson for the group, which currently uses Woosehill Community Centre on a weekly basis, noted how there were suggestions that the council should have purchased the property and used it as a youth centre, or something similar.
The spokesperson said: “Anyone could have purchased the building, invested significant funds to make it usable, and turned it into whatever they wanted – subject to the relevant planning permissions.
“We are talking about a multi-million pound investment.”
“We understand the previous owner had plans approved to flatten the entire site to build a small number of luxury apartments.
“That would have been the building disappearing forever, so at least it’s now being retained and brought back into community use.”
The previous owner was the now defunct Montreaux Homes. That company, which went into liquidation in 2024, has been in the national headlines this week following allegations of defects by homeowners.
It was granted permission for 27 luxury apartments following the demolition of the existing building, but that planning permission subsequently expired.
Earlier plans for a similar development on the site were twice refused following an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate.
Noting several online petitions that have appeared against the current vision for the site, the spokesperson added: “There is a considerable amount of misinformation going around.
“We have not submitted any plans to Wokingham borough council. We understand the building already has planning use as an entertainment venue, and for business.
“Our idea is to bring this valuable asset back into community use, and we are already talking to several groups with that in mind.
“Other plans will include offering AI training programmes to young people, aimed at bridging the growing skills gap.
“Alongside this, we intend to run workshops, coding boot camps, and hackathons that will give participants practical experience with real-world tools.
“We also plan to provide mentorship schemes that pair young learners with industry professionals, along with career guidance sessions, digital literacy courses, and internationally-recognised certification opportunities.
“These activities will equip young people with the technical and problem-solving skills they need to succeed in an increasingly technology-driven job market “
