The proposal for the place of worship, which will stand on the corner of Barnsley Road and Osgathorpe Road in Firvale, has divided the community.

Sheffield Council's west and north planning board received dozens of letters objecting to the scheme, which would see the demolition of three Victorian houses which are already used as mosque buildings and the building of a purpose-built mosque.

According to plans submitted to the council, the development would also serve as a madressa – a school where young Muslims can learn more about their
faith.

Opponents have described the proposal as too large for its location, out of place in the area and intrusive. They also fear an increase in traffic congestion and parking problems, with patrons "loitering" after final prayer and disturbing neighbours.

However, more than 1,000 residents have signed petitions in favour of the place of worship, which would have a dome and minaret and would include community facilities to cater for up to 1,400 people.

Supporters say the mosque is already established, the new buildings will be more modern and describe the current site as "unsightly and in need of improvement".

The application will be presented to the west and north planning board at a meeting at the Town Hall today, where it is expected to be granted subject to a list of 36 conditions.

These include work to limit the amount of light pollution from the building, a landscape scheme, a limit on the number of hours during which the madressa can be used and a ban on any amplified call to prayer.

A detailed travel plan must also be submitted to the council before the new mosque is allowed to be used, which planners say should "reduce the need for and impact of motor vehicles". So-called H-marks will also be painted across private drives in a bid to stop users of the building parking in positions where they will block residents' access to their properties.

Much of the population in the area surrounding the mosque site is Muslim. Drawings submitted with the application show a building with a floor space of about 927 square metres, with the top of the minaret standing at about 70 metres. In a report to the planning department West Yorkshire-based architects Archi-Structure said the proposed development would not lead to parking and traffic problems and would be open to the entire community.

The report stated: "The mosque and madressa is sited within the heart of the Muslim community and will attract a significant proportion of worshippers and users on foot.

"The surrounding areas are well served by other mosques and as a result the traffic generation will be very much limited to the immediate locality served by the proposed mosque. The local congregation does acknowledge the need to manage traffic more effectively during the use of the madressa at drop-off and pick-up times and to this end a parking strategy has been prepared."

If built, the new mosque will have a car park in the basement, but this will be limited to the use of staff and disabled drivers.

There are plans for 20 classrooms on the first and second floors of the building to be used for teaching young people.

At present much of the teaching activity takes place within the three houses on the site and in several portable buildings, which the architects say are currently "scattered" around the site.