An eight-storey building on the approach to Wembley Stadium will be extended by a further seven storeys as part of a scheme to create nearly 120 new flats.

Brent Council’s planning committee approved plans to increase the height at the site in Olympic Way, Wembley, despite concerns about the impact on neighbouring properties.

Jim Tarzey, planning director at Pegasus, representing the applicant, said it was an “opportunity to improve the site” and take advantage of its “sustainable location”.

He pointed to improvements in appearance – both of the building itself and the surrounding area – and the increase in homes and business opportunities at the site.

Of the 119 units proposed as part of the scheme, 31 are considered affordable – split between 22 offered at London affordable rent and nine under shared ownership.

There were concerns about the impact the extension would have on neighbouring buildings such as Danes and Empire Court, as well as Pinnacle Tower, which is preparing a planning application to develop its own site.

Paul Allen-Alvarez, chairman of the Danes and Empire Court Neighbourhood Group, said the development in Wembley has led to “increased pollution” for those living in the area.

His biggest concern for this development is the impact it will have on the natural sunlight reaching his estate.

A council report noted tests by Building Research Establishment showed “minor failings” in terms of the impact the extension would have on daylight and sunlight on the surrounding buildings, but this was deemed permissible by council officers.

Mr Allen-Alvarez also pointed to an increase in anti-social behaviour and said this would “only get worse” by increasing the population.

“I’ve witnessed how our garden state has been overshadowed and overwhelmed by the size of those developments that have been completed and those that are planned,” he said.

Conservative councillor Suresh Kansagra agreed that smaller housing blocks had been “dwarfed” by some of the surrounding buildings in Wembley.