A new mosque is set to open in a former LGBT pub in Isleworth, west London, despite more than 500 objections from the public.
Hounslow Council’s planning committee voted unanimously in favour of planning officer recommendations to approve the conversion of the Grade II listed George Inn into a mosque.
The decision came after 505 objections to the applications, 278 in favour and 23 neutral comments.
The Isleworth Deen Centre acquired the building in 2016. It will make small refurbishments to the building, but will retain all the listed features, including the pub sign.
It will be used primarily as a mosque and also a community centre, with classes and events open to all members of the public.
Public objections to the application included comments such as: “Listed buildings should cater for all groups, not just one,” “The conversion would not preserve the character of Isleworth,” and “There are many mosques in the area, why build one in Isleworth?”
Committee documents also noted a number of comments from the public that “due to their content are not considered suitable to be presented in this report”.
Councillor Salman Shaheen said the vast majority of complaints were based on traffic congestion concerns, but said a “vocal but tiny minority” had opposed the presence of a mosque on their doorstep.
He said: “The applicant had done everything they could to try to engage with the local community. They held a public meeting in which well over 100 local residents turned up. It did turn into quite a heated exchange, with a lot of people raising objections. It then became an issue of focus for many in the local community.
“People are already using the public hall and renting that out for prayer, so you can clearly see there is the demand for a mosque in Isleworth. There are other mosques in the borough of Hounslow but not in the local area. Just like there are other supermarkets in the borough of Hounslow, but people will still want to go to their local supermarket.”
The council stipulated that there should be noise controls and traffic monitoring to reduce the impact on local residents.
Shaheen added: “The listed building still has to have a picture of King George outside the mosque. The Isleworth Dean Centre completely accepts that and they are fine with it looking like a pub on the outside and being a mosque on the inside.”
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