The building has been their place of worship for many years
Some members of Peterborough’s Hindu community were reportedly left in tears after councillors agreed to sell the building which has been their place of worship for many years.
Dozens of Hindus attended Peterborough City Council’s cabinet meeting on Tuesday, December 16, where they heard councillors approve the disposal of Units 1 to 7 of the New England Complex to the highest bidder.
The building on Rock Road has been home to the Bharat Hindu Samaj Mandir for 40 years. It serves an estimated 13,500 Hindus from across Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, and Lincolnshire. Besides being an important place of worship, the temple hosts a wide range of community events and makes large charitable donations.
Dinesh Odedra, who was in attendance at the cabinet meeting, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Some of us, including myself, are still confused by what is happening. There were elderly congregation members who were in tears [at the meeting], really upset. They had to be taken away. A lot of the services we are offering, we are not going to be able to offer going forward.”
The two bidders (Bidder A and Bidder B) which sought to purchase the building have not been officially named, but are understood to be two local religious community groups. Bidder B was recommended as the preferred choice.
Mr Odedra added: “The wider community needs to understand that there are no conflicts between us and the other bidders and we have no conflicts with any of the minority communities. As a community ourselves we stand shoulder to shoulder with them when it comes to discrimination of all kinds.”
He added that the Hindu community were left with “mixed signals” following the meeting and claimed there was not a fair evaluation process.
Councillor Mohammed Jamil, cabinet member for finance and corporate governance, said at the meeting: “I recognise the high-profile nature of this issue and I have to say I’m impressed by the way the officers have undertaken this extensive and impartial due diligence to reach today’s recommendation.
“Clearly, with two bidders interested in acquiring the building, one will be disappointed with our decision today. I have therefore asked our officers to support the unsuccessful bidder with advice and guidance should that be necessary to meet their future property needs.”
Cllr Christian Hogg, cabinet member for housing, asked for assurance that the council would do all it could to help the current tenants if they had to relocate.
Cllr Jamil said: “I am more than sure that our officers will do their upmost in order to assist the tenants to either find a new home or meet their needs in a different way.” He added that he was confident the council had taken an impartial decision that was “open and transparent”.
Felicity Paddick, head of estates and facilities management at the council, said: “We did make sure that all the details were made very clear to both parties along the way and we also brought in additional officers to support us in reviewing those bids to ensure a fair and justified decision was reached.”
Council officers will now seek to agree final terms and complete the disposal of the building.
