Controversial plans to transform a beloved community centre into a new place of worship for a homophobic church have been given the green light.

Living Faith Church Worldwide, also known as Winner’s Chapel, purchased Kingsnorth Recreation Centre from Ashford Borough Council (ABC) for £600,000 earlier this year.

They later submitted plans to converted the main hall into a space for worship and retain room for a children’s nursery, which currently operates from the Park Farm centre.

The plans came under fire from residents, with 94 objections registered on ABC’s planning portal.

The application was discussed at ABC’s planning committee last night, with the debate lasting more than an hour.

Ward councillor Katrina Giles (Green) felt that the move was a severe blow to the local community, adding: “The recreation centre and nursery has served the Park Farm community for many years, and I believe there wasn’t a fair consultation over its sale.

“We can see that Winner’s Chapel has asked for a change of use to accommodate the nursery.

“However, they are only permitted to stay until August 2025. If they cannot find a suitable new unit, I fear the community and staff members will suffer a detrimental loss.

“It would be unacceptable to my residents for you to allow this change of use.”

Cllr Giles also addressed the potential impact of noise and additional traffic on the community. Winner’s Chapel stated that a maximum of 200 people could attend services.

Previous plans submitted by the Nigeria-based evangelical Protestant organisation did not include space for the nursery. Subsequently, these plans were withdrawn in July after sparking 386 objections from residents, before the adapted application was submitted.

The church, which has a base in Dartford, has also drawn heavy criticism for its homophobic beliefs, including preaching that being gay is “a trap of the devil”.

In 2018, an undercover ITV news reporter attended the Winner’s Chapel site in Dartford, where they appeared to offer “complete mind reorientation” for gay people, and attempted to “cure” the reporter of homosexuality.

Pastor Faith Abiola Oyedepo is a senior preacher with the church and the wife of its founder, Bishop David Oyedepo.

She sometimes posts about homosexuality to her almost one million followers on X (formerly Twitter).

One post from February read: “Homosexuality is a trap, and its reward is fatal. Do not toy with it, come to Jesus today and he will free you from its hold.”

Speaking at ABC’s planning meeting, Enoch Akame, chairman of Winners Chapel's board of trustees, stressed the importance of bringing a new place of worship to Ashford.

He said: “We have lots of members who have lived in Ashford some 30 years and as our membership continues to grow - this for local people.

“We render charitable services to anyone irrespective of faith or belief and we are open people who are always contributing to the society and community we find ourselves in.”

Mr Akame also stated that the main hall and car park would still be open to the community for various uses.

Cllr Brendan Chilton (Lab) added: “I know this will not be a popular view with residents but in planning terms, there are no reasons in this document for us to reject the application before us.”

Although the latest plans include space for a nursery, bosses at Little Acorns, which has served the area for more than 30 years, remained concerned about their future, as they have been told to leave after August 2025.

After the decision last night, manager Donna White said: “It looks like the end for Little Acorns at the moment, which is a real shame for the members of staff, the children who have no other place in Ashford to attend and the working parents.

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“Overall, we’re disappointed in our councillors for allowing this to go through; they haven’t considered the public view - residents don’t want this church.

“Given the controversy surrounding this church's beliefs, it’s quite concerning that the local council has let this go through.

“We promote tolerance of others, British values and inclusivity, which is not the views of this church.”

ABC’s planning committee voted to approve the scheme with seven votes for, three against and two abstentions.

The church has been contacted for comment.