Crystal Palace Local

KICC EVENT BECOMES A NON-EVENT

JUST 38 people turned up for the start of Kingsway International Christian Centre's 'New Beginning' event in Crystal Palace park today (Saturday)

They were outnumbered by around 100 protesters who spelt out a giant message for KICC saying: "Save 25 Church Road for a cinema."

Among those backing the protesters was Steve O'Connell, GLA member for Croydon and Sutton who said they needed to keep the pressure up, particularly on Bromley council. The demonstration showed councillors the strength of feeling for a cinema, he added.

Park rangers had been told by KICC they expected 500 people to turn up to the event.

James Lightfoot, spokesman for Crystal Palace Triangle Planning Group which organised the event, said: "We are delighted so many residents of the Crystal Palace community turned up to voice their support for a cinema at 25 Church Road and voice their objections to KICC's proposals"

"If  that's the size of their congregation they can muster on a day like this why do they need a building?" - cinema campaigner Ian Wright

Previous article prior to meeting.

THE CHURCH which  took over the former cinema at 25 Church Road, Crystal Palace in a secret deal is at the centre of another secrecy controversy.

KICC - Kingsway International Christan Centre - has been given the go-ahead by Bromley council's parks department to hold an 'event' on the top site in Crystal Palace park later this month which is expected to attract 'between' 500 and 1,000 people.

But the first anyone in the area knew anything about it was when KICC started putting leaflets through people's letterboxes.

One person who got the leaflet announcing the event on Saturday May 21st at 1pm then posted details of it on Saturday (7th) on the Virtual Norwood blog spot.

The leaflet announces the event as 'A New Beginning' - "Come and be set free into a new life. Soar to new levels in 2011" - and highlights numbers of the local bus services, some of which go to the bus station on Crystal Palace Parade next to where the event is being held.

But KICC - slogan: 'Taking Territories' - is understood to have been given permission to use the car park in Crystal Palace park close to where the huge bust of Sir Joseph Paxton stands.

KICC has refused requests by Bromley council to meet with the local Crystal Palace community and consistently refused to meet the three MPs whose constituencies border the area since buying the former cinema from Gala bingo in 2009. Staff at the bingo hall had just one week's notice they were losing their jobs.

An immediate, massive groundswell of opinion against KICC's plans saw a public meeting at the Queen's hotel attended by 1,000 protesters along with 3,500 letters of complaint to Bromley council.

In December 2009 Bromley council refused KICC's plans to convert the building into a church.

Cinema chain City Screen, which were outbid by the KICC for the former cinema, still have the building as their number one priority. KICC's latest plans for the building - which have  yet to be approved by Bromley council - says they will have one screen showing "family-friendly" films.

And despite Bromley council's refusal major works have been going on inside the building during the past few months including the installation of large air conditioning units on the roof.

Some people 'posting' on Virtual Norwood are clearly considering going along on May 21st to make their own protest.

One person suggests placards saying: "Crystal Palace is not a territory available for taking" and "We live here and would prefer a cinema. "Thanks."

Another says: "KICC has shown no quarter... at least we can show them we are prepared top make a stand and ramp up our method of objection - which of course they are doing by holding this event."

Another voices concern about comments people are making about KICC and their followers:

"If KICC members do see some of the more negative things written about them on this site and elsewhere I doubt they're going to want to co-operate very much with cinema campaigners."

In an email to one local campaigner, Bromley's parks services manager Toby Smith, says the 'small open air event' will have a small choir, some music and will last about an hour and a half.

"My staff will be monitoring the event to ensure they comply to what they have said they will do. My team will step in at any time if they consider the event to be a risk or exceeds the limitation of the booking conditions.

"We allow many different religious organisations into our parks and we have to be seen to be fair and non-discriminatory."

Crystal Palace ward Cllr Tom Papworth, while accepting KICC are "somewhat controversial" in the area because of their application to convert 25 Church Road, says KICC's application to hold an event in the park is quite typical of the 400 events that are held in Bromley's parks each year.

"Many of these are religious festivals including open air masses and choral events. It would be quite unusual (not to mention impractical) for the parks department to consult local residents about each and every event."