Muslim billionaire, Asif Aziz, plans to build a three-storey mosque in one of central London’s most popular entertainment complexes, reported the Mail.
Established through the Aziz Foundation — the tycoon’s charitable arm — the mosque will be located inside the Trocadero, between Piccadilly Circus and Soho.
With a capacity for 390 worshippers, the mosque is expected to open within months.
The Malawian-born billionaire owns a property portfolio worth over £2 billion ($2.6 billion), purchasing the Trocadero for over £220 million in 2005, the Mail reported.
The chief executive of Criterion Capital, which manages a £2 billon property portfolio across London and the South-East, bought the Trocadero for more than £220 million in 2005.
“Situated in vacant space in the basement of the Trocadero, the centre will provide an indispensable place for the Muslims who work, visit and live in the area and for whom prayer forms a cornerstone of their life,” the Aziz Foundation said.
“While the centre will provide an area for prayer, it is also anticipated that this development will nurture much-needed interfaith dialogue and in turn bring faith communities and community groups together utilising available space.
“Situated in vacant space in the basement of the Trocadero, the centre will provide an indispensable place for the Muslims who work, visit and live in the area and for whom prayer forms a cornerstone of their life,” the Aziz Foundation added.
“While the centre will provide an area for prayer, it is also anticipated that this development will nurture much-needed interfaith dialogue and in turn bring faith communities and community groups together utilising available space.
“As a foundation, we are proud to support the Piccadilly Community Centre, its prayer space, local community initiatives and interfaith work. British Muslims are part of the fabric of our society and contribute in the most essential and remarkable ways.”
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The London Trocadero was an entertainment complex on Coventry Street. It was originally built in 1896 as a restaurant, which closed in 1965. In 1984, the complex reopened as an exhibition and entertainment space, and became known for the video-game oriented SegaWorld attractions which were added in 1996, and later downscaled and renamed to “Funland” before its closure in 2011. Part of the building was opened as a hotel in 2020.
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