A FRESH bid is being made to advance blueprints for a new synagogue in Prestwich - which could also bring a number of jobs to the town.

Blueprints on behalf of Kehillas Kol Yaakov for a site in George Street, have previously been approved by borough planners.

But the latest revised incarnation of the project, which also includes an office development, has been scaled down by 40 per cent, say supporters.

Applicant Simon Rose said: "The reason for this is that the cost of building the previous scheme was too high.

"The proportional divide between the synagogue and office space is roughly the same as it was in the approved scheme."

He says the motivation for the development has been the growth of the local congregation in recent years.

Mr Rose added: "The land has been vacant for more than 10 years and has been openly available for lease or sale on the open market for more than three years.

"The previous application was approved but proved to be too expensive to build. This application is a scaled-down version of the approved scheme.

"The motivation behind this development is to provide a much needed new synagogue for the existing Prestwich Jewish community.

"In recent years the community has grown significantly in terms of population size and the local existing synagogues are full to capacity.

"None of the existing synagogues in Prestwich are accepting new members and there isn’t even room for visitors or non-members to attend services in most existing synagogues due to the lack of available space.

"The community behind this application have been using a local school hall for all their services these past years since the previous application and before.

"Included in the application is an office development of five independent office spaces ranging in size from 10 to 30 square metres.

"These spaces will be made available to small start-up businesses that require a local office space at affordable rent.

"The entire project is not-for-profit and intended solely for the benefit of the local community. Income from the office spaces will help towards the running costs of the synagogue."