Work has begun on the project, the subject of a long-running court battle initiated by a Canberra Christian fundamentalist group that ended last Friday, and the slab should be poured soon.

Canberra Muslim Community chairman Yasser Dabhoiwala said while the full works program, which is expected to cost about $3 million, may take another two or three years to finish, his committee is keen to make the $1.9 million mosque the centrepiece of Ramadan observances in north Canberra in 2015.

The court challenge, which was brought by ''Concerned Citizens of Canberra'' under the leadership of Irwin Ross, was rejected by the Supreme Court's Master David Mossop, who also awarded costs against the group.

Mr Dabhoiwala said fund-raising, not the legal challenge, was mainly responsible for the time it has taken to get the mosque moving. He is hopeful that with real progress on the site more donations will start coming in.

First conceived more than 12 years ago, the Gungahlin mosque reflects the growth in Canberra's Muslim population and a shift in the demographic centre of gravity away from southern and central Canberra.

Residents and workers on the northside find it difficult to reach the Canberra mosque in Yarralumla, which dates back about 40 years. It is also operating at close to capacity on Fridays, the principal holy day in the Muslim week.

It is expected the Gungahlin mosque, which will incorporate a community centre with a hall, library and computer lab, will serve a population of between 3000 and 5000 of the faithful.

Tanveer Khan, the former vice-president of the Canberra Muslim Community, said the possibility of establishing a mosque on the northside had originally been raised with Senator Bob McMullen in the early 2000s.

The ACT government allocated a block of land near the Nicholls shopping centre about six years ago. This turned out to be unsuitable because of parking issues, and a second block was allocated on The Valley Avenue only metres from the commercial heart of Gungahlin.

Mr Dabhoiwala said the design for the mosque blended the characteristics of existing buildings in the neighbourhood with signature features of a traditional mosque. These include a stylised minaret outside the main entrance.

''Somebody driving past who is looking for a mosque will recognise it [the small tower] as a minaret,'' he said. ''To somebody else it will just appear to be an architectural feature.''

It will not be used to call the faithful for prayer and, in any case, it will be too small for a muezzin to climb. ''That [the adhan, or call to prayer] won't be happening,'' he said.

Mr Dabhoiwala said an unintended consequence of the court action against the Gungahlin mosque had been a groundswell of support for the project by the broader Canberra community. This had been led, in large measure, by the established Christian churches.

''The core values of our faith are tolerance, charity, honesty, non-violence, humility and respect for others,'' he said.

Despite this, Muslims in Canberra experience intolerance and prejudice.

''For me the best way to react to this is to keep calm, to just ignore it and move on,'' Mr Dabhoiwala said.

He said community support for the mosque, which was documented in a Canberra Times online survey that logged almost 70 per cent of respondents in favour, had been heartening and appreciated. ''Canberra is a tolerant community.''

Prayer sessions have been held in a shed on the mosque site for two years. This has been discontinued now work has begun in earnest.