A church which faced eviction from the site it occupies has been granted a temporary reprieve.

Kent County Council had wanted to sell the land occupied by Allington Baptist Church, which sits on the junction of Leafy Lane and London Road, Maidstone, to make way for 14 flats.

The council has now withdrawn its planning application after a complication with the land it was offering the church as a new home.

The church and council has spent 18 months negotiating the deal, which has come to nothing.

Originally the church congregation resisted the move, but has come round to the idea of being given its own land rather than the existing deal, where they are tenants on council land.

Jeff Wilkinson, chairman to the trustees of Allington Baptist Church, said the news had been met with a mixed reaction.