Work to build a controversial mosque that faced years of setbacks and huge opposition from residents is set to start.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Association has been granted planning permission to turn a former office block on Sanatorium Road into a two-storey mosque and after a long battle, work will now begin.
The plans for the mosque in Cardiff were refused twice in just over a year.
Hundreds of people signed a petition against the move and anonymous leaflets objecting to plans were delivered to homes in the area.
The plans to expand the mosque in Canton were finally given the go ahead in March 2018.
The new mosque will have a community hall, minaret, dome and Imam’s residence.
Cardiff council received 58 letters and a petition with more than 500 signatures objecting to the development, citing issues around traffic and parking.
Now the mosque say they are "hopeful" construction work will begin later this year and finishing by the end of 2020.
The Ahmadiyya community in the capital started searching for a dedicated place to worship back in 2012 and acquired the site in 2015.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Elders Association said: "After acquiring the building in 2015, we were faced with strong opposition from the local residents and other muslim communities which caused a delay in getting the final planning permission to go ahead with the project."
They added that mosques for their community are "funded fully" by their members.
At the time the application was made some residents said the area already suffers from congestion and parking issues due to the nearby Cardiff City Stadium, Leckwith retail park and nearby schools.
In October 2016 anonymous leaflets protesting against plans to build the mosque were posted through residents’ letterboxes.
The leaflet claimed the development would cause traffic and parking problems – and that the community were not consulted by Cardiff council.
The leaflet claimed then Cardiff council leader Phil Bale approved the development without taking into consideration a petition signed by more than 200 residents and that there had been no prior consultation.
At the time Councillor Bale said: “We have no idea who printed or distributed this leaflet, but I want to make it absolutely clear that any decision on this application is a matter for the planning committee. I’ve had no involvement so claims in the leaflet are entirely false.”
The site was granted a place of worship classification in 2015.
