KICC loses bid to build mega-church

It ends KICC’s three-year long struggle to win planning permission for the construction of the church, which faced strong opposition from locals who feel the site should be allocated to business ventures that will boost employment in the area.

The original application was rejected by Havering Council’s Regulatory Services Committee in January last year, and again the following month by the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation.

KICC appealed the decision, which was rejected by Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government MP John Denham on Thursday morning following a public consultation in March.

KICC, the largest Pentecostal church in the country, had wanted to build the church on a four-hectare plot on the Beam Reach Business estate after being moved from its original location in Hackney due to the construction of the Olympic Park site.

A spokesman for Mr Denham cited accessibility and concerns over employment as the main reasons for rejecting KICC’s bid.

"The Secretary of State gives significant weight to the need for larger accommodation to enable KICC's growing membership to worship collectively,” he said.

"However, he agrees with the Inspector about the identified harms of the proposed development in relation to the poor accessibility of the appeal site and conflict with employment policies in the development plan, and he also gives significant weight to these harms.

"Overall, in weighing the identified need for the facilities and the benefits of the proposal in the balance, the Secretary of State concludes that the benefits are insufficient to outweigh the conflict with the development plan."

No one was available at KICC to comment.