Plans to expand a mosque building have been approved.

The International Muslim Movement (IMM) applied to add an extra floor to its two-storey building on the corner of East Avenue and St Mary Road in Walthamstow Village.

Plans for an extension at the site, to accommodate a cultural centre, were originally approved in 2008, but work was halted in 2011 when the council complained that it was higher than previously agreed.

It submitted a revised application and those proposals were approved by the authority's planning committee on Tuesday evening.

The new extension will include a library, reading rooms and accommodation for an imam, while facilities in the rest of the building will be re-arranged.

A council consultation resulted in 18 letters of objection, including from the Walthamstow Village Residents Association and the Walthamstow Spiritualist Church.

They criticised the plans over issues such as the bulk of the building, the impact on parking and expressed fears it could lower property prices in the area.

But council offices expressed doubt about the impact on parking, saying most users of the mosque travel there by foot.

A council report also said Walthamstow Village would benefit from the works.