THE search is now on to find a new site for the replacement mosque in Dudley.

Dudley Council has handed over £40,000 to buy back land at Hall Street after Dudley Muslim Association (DMA) lost a lengthy legal battle.

Court hearings centred on a contractual dispute dating back to 2005, when the council transferred the land to the DMA.

A clause in the contract stated that the land would transfer back to the council if the proposed development was not completed by the end of 2008.

Following at two-day hearing at the Court of Appeal in October, three judges unanimously ordered the DMA to transfer the land back to the council.

Amjid Raza, spokesman for the DMA, said it had been a "devastating blow" but the time had now come to "draw a line under it".

He said: "One thing is certain and that is the current mosque is not fit for purpose and it will not meet the needs of future generations - we need a replacement.

"We haven't had any meaningful discussions about alternative sites yet, it was a big blow for the community when we failed to secure Hall Street but now we will go back to the drawing board.

"We are going to sit down with the community and find out what options we have and will make a decision based on that.

"We will be working with the council - we have to draw a line under what happened with Hall Street."

Councillor Pete Lowe, leader of the council, confirmed: “The buy-back deal has now completed and we are just working on the formal legal paperwork process with the Land Registry before the land officially belongs to the council.

"We expect that to be complete in the next few weeks."