Muslim billionaire Asif Aziz wins permission to turn London’s famous landmark into mosque

SHAH ALAM - A Muslim billionaire has been granted permission to convert a prominent London landmark into a mosque.

Criterion Caption CEO and founder Asif Aziz, 56, known as Mr West End, will take over the Trocadero in the centre of the capital.

The Mail Online reported that he had applied to build a mosque with a 1,000-person capacity, but plans were withdrawn because of backlash from residents.

But now the Westminster Council has approved a three-storey mosque for 390 worshippers.

It is expected to be called 'Piccadilly Prayer Space' and to open within a few 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," the report said, quoting a council spokesperson.

The Trocadero, located between Picadilly Circus and Soho, started as a restaurant in 1896 but closed in 1965.

It reopened in 1984 as an exhibition and entertainment area, with Sega sponsoring the construction.

It was downsized in 2011, and a portion of the structure will reopen as a hotel in 2020.

In 2005, Asif, who owns large portions of London's West End, paid more than £220 million (RM1.3 billion) for the Trocadero.

It's believed he is founding the mosque through his charitable arm, the Aziz Foundation.

It is said that the mosque will serve Muslims who work in the area, as well as those visiting London as tourists.