Plans to convert Norwich’s Grade II-listed Gatehouse pub into a mosque have been withdrawn after more than 800 objections. The Norwich Muslim Centre said it wanted to avoid a planning committee meeting it expected would be dominated by opponents, and believed council officers were likely to recommend refusal; it has left open the possibility of negotiating a future use for the building.

The proposal included alterations to the pub’s interior and a large copper-coloured extension with Islamic-style screens and Arabic lettering. The Norwich Society questioned the extension’s scale, saying it would be almost three times the pub’s footprint, while the council’s conservation team reportedly warned of substantial harm to the heritage asset. The pub dates to 1934, survived the 1942 Baedeker Raids and closed in 2023; a pub has stood on the site since 1866.