Plans to transform a traditional church in Timperley into a place of worship for the Ismaili Muslim community have been approved by councillors.

The planning application for the current Woodlands United Reformed Church was for a two-storey infill extension to the existing internal courtyard.

Trafford’s planning committee has given the go-ahead to the plan despite 165 objections and opposition from Timperley Central ward Cllr Julian Newgrosh who spoke against the plan.

There will now be an internal reconfiguration of the building and new rear and front entrances.

Existing windows will be blocked up, new windows created, new air conditioning, landscaping and alterations to the car park.

Cllr Newgrosh said the ‘weakness’ of the plan centred entirely around roads and parking around the building on Woodlands Parkway.

“Woodlands Parkway is a winding and narrow road,” he said. “The congregation will be consolidated from outside the Timperley area from around other areas of south Manchester and will therefore be arriving by car.”

However, Cllr Dan Jerrome supported the plan while accepting it was a ‘difficult’ application for members of the committee.

“I believe the residents will come away from this feeling aggrieved,” he said. “I know Woodlands Parkway well  [as a cyclist] and how dangerous it can be, especially when you have parked cars.

“Car parking on the site is limited and there will be overspill parking on surrounding roads which will be a nuisance for residents.”

He said that it is ‘difficult to judge’ how many people will go to the church for worship.

Cllr Simon Thomas said: “We are here to consider an application for an infill extension and nothing else. Parking is problematic in a number of sites in the Trafford borough.”

Meanwhile, Cllr Bilal Babar said: “Yes, it’s a difficult application, but it’s a very simple question of deciding this submission on planning grounds.

“It’s expected that the applicant will manage the traffic and the use of the building in such a way as to protect the rights and the peace of neighbouring residents.”

Chair of the committee Cllr Barry Winstanley said he urged the applicant to work with the local residents to be as cooperative as possible.

“I will be writing to the [council’s] highways team to make sure the [traffic] situation is monitored,” he added.