St Anne's Church clinic bid ‘scrapped’ - PCC set to petition Diocese of London
Published: 18 March 2011
by JOSH LOEB
PLANS to set up a clinic inside a Soho church have been dealt a major blow after a healthcare authority announced it is withdrawing from the scheme.
The Parochial Church Council (PCC) at St Anne’s Church in Dean Street, is in the process of petitioning the chancellor of the Diocese of London, the worshipful Nigel Seed QC, for a licence to convert part of the building.
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust had previously expressed interest in taking up a tenancy in the church – but yesterday (Thursday) said they were no longer considering the plan. Confusion now surrounds whether a legal hearing over the licence will go ahead.
Father Philip Chester, the Area Dean and Vicar of St Matthew, Westminster, who has replaced Father David Gilmore as petitioner for the licence after the latter’s suspension in December, said no decision had yet been made as to whether to press ahead with the application for a licence.