Kensington and Chelsea Council have rejected a proposal to alter the entrance to a London tube station in order to enable strictly observant Cohanim use the underground.

An entrance to South Kensington tube station is connected to the Science Museum, which displays human remains.

But since Cohanim, descendants of the Israelite priesthood, are prohibited from contact with dead bodies - except in the case of close relatives - this puts the tube out of bounds to those who adopt a strict position on Jewish law.

Council officers had recommended the proposal to erect a thin metal structure in the grade-II listed entrance, which would create a symbolic archway, separating it from the museum.

Artist's impression of South Kensington tube entrance now and (right) with Cohen-friendly arch

The application had been submitted by the Va’ad Mishmeres Hakohanim, an organisation which works to protect the ritual purity of Cohanim, after a year of discussions with the council.

An estimated 1,500 families would benefit from the structure, according to the application.

But councillors were swayed by objections from residents and nearby organisations, including Imperial College.

A representative of the Knightsbridge Association told councillors that the structure would be “unsympathetic and alien”.

But speaking in support of the proposal, a senior member of the rabbinate of the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations, Dayan Aharon Dovid Dunner, said that there had been precedents for alterations to buildings to help the Orthodox community. “Many hospitals have adjusted for us because there are some corpses there,” he said.

A spokesman for the Va’ad told the JC it was “continuing its efforts to obtain planning permission”.

He added: “If the application is successful, the funding for the project will not be from public funds.”