Malawi-born billionaire Asif Aziz has been given permission to turn part of a London entertainment complex into a 390-capacity mosque.
Property tycoon Asif Aziz, who who owns a property portfolio of over £2 billion (over K2 trillion), bought one of London’s landmarks, the Trocadero, for more than £220million (over K220 billion) in 2005.
He previously proposed a 1,000-capacity mosque on the site of the Trocadero but withdrew the application in 2020 following a backlash from residents as well as far-right groups.
He is now building a three-storey mosque inside the Trocadero which reports say will be called ‘Piccadilly Prayer Space’ and could be open within months.
“A planning application by the Aziz Foundation to convert a part of the London Trocadero was approved by the council’s planning committee in May 2023,” a council spokesperson told The Mail on Sunday.
The Aziz Foundation said the mosque will serve Muslims who work in the area, as well as those visiting London as tourists.
The Mirror reported that area where the mosque is being built is in the heart of the city’s entertainment district which is filled with alcohol-serving bars and clubs, as well as gay venues and strip clubs.
