PLANS to extend a popular town centre mosque, complete with dome and minaret were given the go-ahead last night.

At a meeting of the Swindon Council planning committee it was decided that worshippers at the Hazrat Shahjal-Al Mosque, in Manchester Road, could proceed with plans to install an authentic gold dome and minaret on top of a two-storey and first-floor extension to the existing building.

The proposals followed modifications to the inside of the mosque to allow for a more comfortable worship area and also for teaching and office facilities.

The committee approved the application with conditions including measures to secure access for disabled people and noise monitoring of calls to prayer, particularly in the early hours of the morning.

Increased attendance and parking provision was raised as a significant issue by Central ward councillors on behalf of local residents and a legal agreement with the council is to allow for 18 parking spaces in the nearby Carlton Street car park to be used by visitors to the mosque.

This is to be lowered if the mosque meets targets for sustainable transport, but a survey of visitors concluded most worshippers walked.

The committee approved a smaller minaret than that in the original application. The first minaret was to be 4.3m high but to be in keeping with other properties it was decided it should be reduced to 3.4m. The dome is 6m wide by 3m tall.

David Cleverly, representing the members of the mosque, said: “Adding the minaret and the dome will give it a true identity as a mosque.”

Councillor Robert Wright (Lab, Central) said at the meeting: “This will develop the mosque in a very distinctive way and I think that as well as congruence for an area so is this.

“One thing we were very aware of was the character of the building being fitting and suitable for its different use – there is no change in that sense.”

Councillor Derique Montaut said: “The additions will give it a distinctive character in a way we would expect Christian churches to have steeples.”