Plans for a mosque within the grounds of a school in one of Scotland’s most affluent suburbs have been dropped.

Council chiefs said the ­proposals, for Newton Mearns, south of Glasgow, had created a significant public response and that it was being abandoned, in part, due to criticism of the move.

A report on wider proposals for the East Renfrewshire area, which is expected to be agreed next week, says: “In view of the volume of representations received, the sensitivity concerning the proposal and the extremely wide range of issues raised, it is recommended that this proposed modification be pursued no further and is not included in the plan.”

The proposals for the mosque had been put forward by the local Muslim community as there is no permanent place of worship for Muslims in Newton Mearns, despite demand for more than a decade. The Muslim community had suggested a ­residual parcel of land next to the new Eastwood High School was its preferred site for a religious and community facility.

The Scottish Government’s Reporter, who adjudicates on planning issues, has recently been critical of the length of time it has taken local Muslims to secure a permanent place of worship in the area and allowed temporary change of use of a former nearby British Legion club for Muslim prayer services.

An alternative location north of Newton Mearns has now been recommended, but another suggestion would be dependent on wider development plans.

Proposing the plans, Nazir Ahmed, a trustee of the East Renfrewshire Mosque and Community Centre group, said the East Renfrewshire Muslim community had been resident for more than 40 years and is “one of the fastest growing communities that actively contributes to the vibrant and ethnically authentic nature” of the area.

But the Eastwood High mosque plans sparked an opposition campaign, with parents complaining about a religious facility being built on non-denominational school grounds. Parents said they had concerns at the possibility of violent protests outside the school gates and the potential for vandalism, fireraising or even terrorist-style bomb attacks following interest in the proposal from far-right extremists.

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