A church in London has been granted a licence to sell alcohol and host live music, despite objections from the police.
St Michael's Church on Camden Road will now be able to hold gigs three nights a week and sell alcohol between seven and eleven on weeknights, Camden Council said.
Vicar Fr Tom Plant had said he wanted to open the church up because "Jesus turned water into wine for a reason".
He told the Telegraph that it would not become a "mosh pit" and would instead be for small live music and poetry.
"We see it as outreach, not Bible-bashing, but welcoming people in," he said.
His first attempt at a licence was put on hold by the council after London's Metropolitan Police said it could lead to an increase in violence, ornaments could be used as weapons and there were too many hiding places.
Officers also said there was not enough CCTV in the area.
Despite this Camden Council's licensing committee approved the application and paved the way for gigs on the altar.
A spokesman for Camden Council said: "The application was granted with a couple of conditions."
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Article by Antony Bushfield
Antony Bushfield is a multimedia journalist for Premier.
