Plan to turn former pub into mosque approved

The applicant said the scheme would bring a vacant building back into use

Plans to turn a disused Leicester pub into a mosque have been approved.

The Eyres Monsell Community Foundation said it wanted to convert The Glen in Hillsborough Road, Eyres Monsell, into a place of worship with an education centre.

The group currently uses the nearby Eyres Monsell Community Centre for worship but said it had outgrown the facility.

Members of Leicester City Council's planning committee approved the change of use of the pub, which closed in 2022, at a meeting on Wednesday.

The committee voted by six to two to approve the proposal, with two abstentions.

There had been more than 870 objections to the scheme lodged with the council and 2,500 people signed an online proposal opposing it.

Concerns raised included potential noise from the mosque, and whether there would be enough parking to accommodate worshippers.

Karen Pickering, Eyres Monsell city councillor, told the meeting there were "genuine and well-founded" concerns about traffic and safety.

She said residents felt the council had not listened to their views and suggested the site would be better used for affordable housing.

Conditions imposed

Some 260 people also contacted the council to say they supported the plan and 328 people signed a petition in favour of it.

George Weightman, agent for the applicant, said the foundation would work with the community and was an established local charity which already served residents' religious, educational and social needs.

He added: "This is a local proposal made by local people to benefit the local community.

"It will bring an empty building back into use and supports local needs."

The applicant, which has already purchased the site, said between 50 and 100 people were expected to attend the mosque on most weekdays, rising to 200 for prayers on Friday.

Planning officers had advised councillors to approve the scheme.

They said there was adequate parking near the former 1950s-built pub and that the noise impact would be "negligible" and that they believed the development would not cause parking problems or road safety issues.

Conditions were attached to the planning permission restricting the mosque's hours of use to between 07:30 BST and 23:00, with some allowances during Ramadan.

The council also said the exterior areas of the pub could not be used for worship or events and that no amplified noise would be allowed.