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WALTHAMSTOW: Temporary church built on Stow site

11:04am Wednesday 10th December 2008


A HUGE tent which is to be used as a temporary church over the festive period has been erected on the site of Walthamstow Stadium.

The structure, which did not require planning permission as it is temporary, will be used for services given by the Kingsway International Christian Centre (KICC).

KICC, described as the largest evangelical church in the country with 10,000 people regularly attending its services, was formerly based on the Olympic Park in Hackney.

But in 2006 it was forced to move for the Games and relocated to Hoe Street, in Walthamstow.

It is currently awaiting planning permission for the development of a large new site in Rainham, Essex.


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Bert Small, Leyton says...
11:23am Wed 10 Dec 08

Is this the same group who own the EMD and have left it empty? If this is so the future looks bleak.

Are the Guffins still about? They were trying to save the EMD but did not seem to get very far with it.

The Stow Could have remained open in the interim?

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annabel, London says...
12:12pm Wed 10 Dec 08

How bizarre!

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Technomist, Walthamstow says...
12:13pm Wed 10 Dec 08

I thought they had a big place down in Finsbury Park. Or is that some other group?

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Cllr Matt Davis, Chingford says...
12:30pm Wed 10 Dec 08

Kingsway International are nothing at all to do with either the EMD or the old Rainbow theatre in Finsbury park both of which are owned by the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, a totally different organisation.

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Technomist, Walthamstow says...
12:33pm Wed 10 Dec 08

Thanks, Matt, its hard to keep track of all these evangelical groups these days. There are so many of them.

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Bert Small, Leyton says...
12:42pm Wed 10 Dec 08

I may pop down and attend a service with Mrs. Small.

She said she is interested in talking in tongues and likes the bit where one gets touched on the forehead and then you collapse backwards in a trance.

I think that if any small change pops out, the deal is that they can keep it.

They do seem a rather friendly bunch.

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Ferdy50, Chingford says...
12:47pm Wed 10 Dec 08

I hope that car park opposite the stadium will be big enough.

When they were in Waterden Road they used to have a big meeting for about 4 days at the end of August & the traffic down there was terrible. The road was only about half mile long & it could take approximately nearly half hour to drive along there because so many people turned up at these meetings! And this will be on a main road!!!!

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ConcernedResident, Chingford says...
12:51pm Wed 10 Dec 08

Ah yes, the same Kingsway International that was accused of misconduct by the Charities Commission (http://news.bbc.co.
uk/1/hi/uk/4319856.s
tm)
The head of the charity - Matthew Ashimolowo - was ordered to repay £200,000, and still kept his job.

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chingfert, chingford says...
7:05pm Wed 10 Dec 08

I hope and pray that this does not turn into another millenium dome fiasco, tax payers money should be spent on more youth clubs.

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Touchwood, Walthamstow says...
11:16pm Wed 10 Dec 08

Another gang of religious nutters who'll bring traffic chaos to the area. I'll lay odds they don't even live locally!

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enna, Walthamstow says...
3:57pm Thu 11 Dec 08

Great loads more traffic. It will turn out like the Bakers Arms on a Sunday. Where the old cinema used to be opposite Peacocks there is now one of these evengilical churches. Has anybody tried to drive in that area on a Sunday. The traffic is choas and sometimes takes up to 45 mins to drive from the central to the Bakers Arms junction, because quite frankley the people who attend the service are idiots and feel they can dump thier cars any where without giving any thought to how other drivers and buses will get through. Also whilst trying to park in the Bakers Arms car park a couple of sundays ago was amazed by the car parking attendents the church has hired / got who told me that as I wasn't a memeber of the church I could not park my car there, I thought this was a public car park, which my reply was to still park my car in the PUBLIC CAR PARK which I only got grief for. Good to know that my my tax money is being spent so wisely. I can see this all happening up by the dogs near where I live, I may be better of buying a pair of walking shoes as this is what I think I will be doing over the Christmas period whilst this is in place. If the planning permission goes through then I feel the local residents who live round there have not been considered and will make things very difficult for those who find walking difficult and rely on the buses and lifts to get about.

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JuniorCarter, Walthamstow says...
6:11pm Thu 11 Dec 08

I am appauled that so many people will be out of a job this Christmas because of the stadium being closed and then it's let to another church. What is it with this borough and those churches - they have so much money they can take over all our fine buildings and leave nothing for those non evangelicals who want to enjoy some leisure or culture.

Give us back our cinema, give us back our Dog Stadium.

L&Q should be forced to explain themselves, shame on them.

How many local people's jobs have the created to balace out the hundreds lost so far?

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Dr. Rashid, Walthamstow says...
6:26pm Thu 11 Dec 08

they Dogs stadium in walthamstow should stay with dogs they be shut down now and its no good

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Walthamster, Walthamstow says...
6:29pm Thu 11 Dec 08

So-called "religions" like KICC and UCKG are big money-spinners that even been criticised by the notoriously weak Charity Commission.

Funny how the new owners of the dog stadium wouldn't allow local supporters to continue racing there temporarily, but are allowing the unwanted KICC to come in and cause traffic chaos.

As always in Waltham Forest, local people can go to hell - someone else is making money out of this.

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enna, Walthamstow says...
9:37am Fri 12 Dec 08

Walthamster wrote:
So-called "religions" like KICC and UCKG are big money-spinners that even been criticised by the notoriously weak Charity Commission. Funny how the new owners of the dog stadium wouldn't allow local supporters to continue racing there temporarily, but are allowing the unwanted KICC to come in and cause traffic chaos. As always in Waltham Forest, local people can go to hell - someone else is making money out of this.
I agree 100%, it's all about money, why do think no houses or plans to build houses on the dog site have started, becasue they know in the current climate they will not get as much money as they want. By allowing this church they are probably renting out the land thus making them money until thier land bank will turn them over a decent profit. Have local residents who live in the area and the top end of Billet Rd been consulted NO!!!!! As I certainly haven't and this is where I live.

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annabel, London says...
11:38am Fri 12 Dec 08

this si a temporary structure so we can all expect to see it gone very soon in the new year, right?

or will this church end up being there for months and months giving the owners a nice amount of rent, no doubt.

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JuniorCarter, Walthamstow says...
3:35pm Fri 12 Dec 08

Apparently they are legally only allowed to be there without planning permission for 28 days this year and 28 days next.

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