The leader of the Christian Peoples Alliance group on Newham Council called on Monday for the compulsory purchase of land being used in east London by a controversial Islamic sect without planning permission.

Tablighi Jamaat has been illegally running the Abbey Mills mosque on the land, near to the site of the London Olympic village, for the past two years. The group, which is suspected of connections to militant Muslims, plans to use the site to build a 70,000-capacity mosque.

Cllr Craig called on the Mayor of Newham, Sir Robin Wales, to initiate the process required for compulsory purchase of the site for community use and to "rescue it from its current irresponsible management".

He pointed to growing opposition not only from Christians but from moderate Muslims who have spoken publically against the mosque, including Muslim commentator Ziauddin Sardar, Dr Irfan al-Alawi of the Centre for Islamic Pluralism and Dr Taj Hargey of the Muslim Educational Centre in Oxford.

"We cannot go on like this," said Alan Craig. "The growing opposition and the absolute refusal of Tablighi Jamaat to regularise their illegal position over the past two years means that the land should now be used for other purposes."