THE man in charge of the new Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies has moved to end speculation surrounding the development of the site.

Work on the structure of the main building of the £75m centre in Marston Road was completed in 2005, but then it came to a halt. Last year it was reported that it could be another two years before the centre was completed.

David Browning, registrar of the centre, confirmed that building work had resumed.

He was also quick to dismiss rumours that the development had been delayed after the land's previous use as a pig farm came to light.

He said: "The centre has taken a long time, as we're building to a very high quality, with high-quality materials.

"It's not as simple as using standard bricks and glass. We have been using hand-cut limestone.

"There's absolutely no substance to these rumours that the site's previous use is the cause for the delay.

"It's something that we were aware of from the outset and has not been something that concerned us."

The centre is being built to encourage understanding of the Islamic faith and has been supported by the governments of 12 Islamic countries.

With a 75ft dome and 108ft minaret, the 125,000sq ft building will rival some Oxford colleges in size. The late King Fahd of Saudi Arabia contributed £20m to its construction.

Dr Browning accepted that to the outside world it could appear that work on the site had stopped, but said that everything was coming along nicely.

He said: "We're now in the conservation stage of the project, carrying out restoration work on buildings that already existed on the land.

"At the same time, there's the equally important task of developing and conserving the landscape surrounding the building and work around the perimeter of the site is going on as we speak."

The third and final stage of the construction of the centre will see the completion of the internal fittings of the building, which Dr Browning admitted would take some time.

However, he insisted the standard of the finish was more important than the speed at which it was done. He added: "Doing it properly is more important than the date we finish."