A massive 18,756 objections to a church opening instead of a cinema have been made to Bromley Council.

Campaigners visited the town hall on Monday to hand in five boxes of objections against an evangelical church's application to change the former Gala Bingo hall in Church Road in to a place of worship.

The Picture Palace campaign - and its supporters - want to see the building turned back in to an independent cinema instead.

The objectors handed in 6,680 petition signatures, 1,328 objections cards, 25 sealed letters, 145 pre-printed letters, 87 handwritten letters, seven children’s letters, 115 signatures and comments of support from local traders, 4,732 names from an online petition and 5,456 names from a Facebook group that they have compiled through months of campaigning.

Hundreds of other people are also believed to have objected to the council independently.

Campaigners also hope hundreds of people will attend a public meeting in the banqueting hall of the Queens Hotel at 3pm on October 18.

The meeting - where there will be a question and answer session, as well as the screening of a film - is expected to show the extent of public feeling in favour of the cinema.

A date for a planning committee meeting to decide the application could take place as early as December.

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