A TOP Lib Dem politician has called a planned expansion of one of Oxford's eight mosques over-development and 'unsightly'.

Liberal Democrat Catherine Bearder, who represents Oxford in the European Parliament, penned her objections after Oxford Muslim Welfare lodged plans with Oxford City Council to expand the front of the building used by some 700 Muslim worshippers.

The expansion at the Stanley Road mosque in East Oxford is needed to improve facilities and install a disabled toilet, according to the developers.

If approved it would include an extension of the washing area and an additional entrance opening on to an alleyway alongside the centre.

Blasting the proposal Mrs Bearder said that the plans if approved would be an ‘unsightly’ addition to the historic area.

She said: “When prayers are over there are very large numbers of members who stand around and talk regularly – frequently more than 100 – and this would be a real bottle neck in this tight area.

“It is hardly possible for two people to pass at this point. The talking and activity there will severely impact on the residents.

“During Ramadan, but also on many other occasions as the mosque is open 24 hours, the worshippers arrive very early and very late.

“There is much banging of doors, standing around and shouting and this is disturbing enough on the road, along with reported parking issues, having worshippers in the alleyway as well would increase this disturbance and give it a use that it does not now have.”

The Iffley Road Resident’s Association has also chimed in with its objections to the expansion plans and argued it would represent ‘over-development’ for the area.

Defending the application, Stanley Road Medina Mosque chairman Sadat Khan said: "It is not really a big amount of space, it is just one metre.

"These facilities have been here since the mosque was built and obviously they are well overdue for refurbishment."

He added that the designs would be made sympathetically in relation to the character of the area and that the new alleyway entrance would be an effective measure for 'crowd control' at busy times.

Speaking about the application St Mary’s councillor Dick Wolff called the building ‘a Tardis’ and said that he had great sympathy for both the residents and the mosque.

He said: “The mosque has outgrown the site and I have every sympathy with residents and I also have every sympathy with the mosque because Oxford isn’t full of places that could be used as an alternative place to worship.

"They have outgrown it and there isn’t room.

“I have been there and it just amazes me how many people are coming out, it is like a Tardis so there is a problem with space.

“It is a very long running problem that isn’t going to go away that the Muslim community is growing and it is thriving and so they need space.”

A date for the determination of the application has not been set.