LONDON, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- A British Muslim sect hoping to build Europe's biggest mosque in London is not moving forward with the plans, local officials say.
A spokesman for London's Newham Council said the organization, Tablighi Jamaat, has let deadlines lapse in its bid to build a 12,000-capacity mosque in East London close to the city's 2012 Summer Olympics site, The Times of London reported.
The newspaper said the local council issued enforcement notices against the mosque trust last week after it missed its final deadline to file a master plan for the controversial building.
Strong opposition emerged to the plans when they were first unveiled in 2007, with critics calling the structure a "mega-mosque" and gathering more than 48,000 signatures in a petition to stop it, the newspaper said.
Critics hailed the news, but Inayat Bunglawala, a spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain, told The Times: "We would hope that they will be able to work in cooperation with the local council if they wish to set up a mosque in the area. Tablighi Jamaat has no ties to terrorism. They have been subjected to some unfair coverage."
