An award-winning car park has been heavily criticised following the council's "questionable" decision to close two of its floors for a private event.
Rose Lane car park, known for its unusual facade of holes, cost £7m to build and has stood in Mountergate, near the railway station, for nearly a decade.
But the five-storey site, owned by Norwich City Council, has faced criticism after the organisation closed off hundreds of parking spaces for an event.
The council was paid by Flatout Fitness to host a workout competition at the site in October.
Hannah Wyatt, who lives in Norwich, said: “There are already so many events held in the city.
“They bring in crowds of people.
“It’s not ideal to have an event at a car park.
“I have to say, this car park does have a particularly weird design."
Peter Wills, who also lives in the city, added: “It's a little bit questionable to use the space for an event like that."
Rebecca Savage, who works at a cafe near the car park, said: “There’s not a lot of parking as it is.
“The council need to consider where people can park in the city when organising an event like this.
“Public transport isn’t always reliable."
The car park was designed and built by Huber in 2016 and was crowned Britain's best new car park the following year.
Despite this, its "questionable" use isn't the only thing people have begun to pick holes in.
One person, who commutes into Norwich every day, said, “It is a complete eyesore.
"A monstrosity, in fact.
"It looks like a cheese grater.
“Yes, it is good that there are hundreds of parking spaces.
"But it doesn't blend in with the surroundings at all."
But Mark Steward, a structural engineer, has defended the site's unique design and believes other areas nearby could also be upgraded.
He said: “I think it’s modern.
“The cladding is not ugly at all.
"It's unique.
“Other buildings are much uglier.
“The Charles Darwin School could certainly do with an upgrade."
A spokesman for Norwich City Council said: “We were pleased to enable a local business put on a unique fitness event for residents in the city centre last year.
“The organisers worked with us to minimise any disruption caused and we didn’t receive any complaints from parking customers.
“Any future events would be subject to further detailed planning to minimise disruption.”
