Leaders of London's churches have delivered a petition signed by over 6,000 people to Cabinet Minister Ruth Kelly and the Mayor of London, Ken Livingston, calling for a change in planning laws to allow Christian churches to take over redundant industrial estate units.

|PIC1|To date, planning laws in the Greater London areas mean that even if buildings have been vacant for years, attracting vandalism, they can only be used for commercial reasons and bring employment to the area.

But Olatunji (Tunji) Adebayo, chief executive of TA Property Consultants, who has been advising churches throughout the south east, says church leaders believe churches could help bring about regeneration into depressed industrial estates and local communities. He also says he has 350 churches waiting to move into larger premises.

Mr Adebayo said: "Most industrial areas in the greater London area have been designated as Defined Employment Areas (DEAs), which means that even if a new tenant or owner could take over a unit, provide resources for the community and help bring the environmental standards of some of these deprived areas up, they simply can't get permission.

"With hundreds of units standing empty for years, their value depreciating and the building itself attracting vandalism, this make no sense. The churches are calling on Ruth Kelly, who says this Government values the work the faith sector does, and the Mayor of London, to bring into being a new Supplementary Planning Guide (SPG) so that these buildings, and the communities they are in, can be brought back to life.

"What the churches are calling for is where a building has been determined not 'commercially viable', and has been vacant for at least 12 months, then planning applications can be made and planners will be able to grant a change of use to mix use of commercial/place of worship."

Tunji says church leaders also believe converting empty business stock into thriving churches will be good for local communities.

He said: "The church will be used mid-week as well as Sundays, and so they will bring in much-needed regeneration, as well as trade for local shops and other businesses. More importantly, the use of those premises also includes employment activities such administrative offices, some light industrial activities, computer training and employment training focussed at young unemployed and single parents looking to return to work.

"The churches often offer free advice drop-ins on a range of issues, as well as a professional counselling service. As responsible premise owners, they will also help improve local environments, and with a keen community focus, many of their projects will benefit the youth and elderly."

Tunji says most of the churches on his books have congregations over 500 people, and are growing.