The Kingsway International Christian Centre is the fastest growing Pentecostal church in Europe. It currently holds 6 back to back services every Sunday from it?s north London HQ in Hoe Street Walthamstow, also an old cinema building but smaller than the one in CP in that it can only hold 1,000. 77% of the 6,000 congregants who travel to Hoe Street use cars, even though it has better public transport, ie there?s a tube, than CP.

The church wants to relocate it?s entire congregation from Wimbledon, where it?s been established for 13 years. It also says in its application it will be drawing congregants from across all of south London and the Home Counties. It will also be moving its Tooting offices to CP and calling it the South of England HQ.

Every weekend 9am till 1am services, weddings and other events such as miracle anointing nights ( these can go on all night) will also take place. The sound systems the church uses are massive, as music is a very important part of the service, as are large gatherings. They hold regular sold out events at the Excel Centre for 12,000 to 20,000 people. Super sized amps, PA system & a forty strong choir is going to raise the roof off 25 Church Road but the traffic and parking problems that will occur will have knock on effect on surrounding areas. Say each service of 1150 attracts 500 cars, it is likely that at least 200 of these will be approaching CP from the Forrest Hill/Sydenham direction, as many congregants will be travelling from the borough of Lewisham. They will all be arriving and leaving at the same time, so you can imagine the congestion and pollution this will cause to surrounding area.

The church?s needs do not sit well in a venue surrounded by residential housing, a congested one way system and a total lack of parking spaces. The church is very wealthy and it would be better for all parties if it were to find a building, with parking and sound proofing, away from residential housing and nearer the community it seeks to serve. The current proposal is unsustainable and will prove to be an environmental nightmare for the local areas.