UK: Hindu group bids against Christian-Muslim group for same piece of faith land

LONDON: When a Hindu charity discovered it could bid for a piece of land allocated for faith/community use in the new town of Northstowe in Cambridgeshire, the 150 Indian-origin Hindu families living there were thrilled as there is no Hindu temple for 40 miles, leaving them and thousands of Indian-origin Hindus living around Cambridge working in tech, science, at the hospital and university, with nowhere to worship.

Aparna Nigam-Saxena, project lead for Hindu Samaj Northstowe (HSN), was shocked when she moved to Northstowe and discovered no Hindu temple in the whole of Cambridgeshire. Hindu families initially met up in each other’s gardens to celebrate festivals and now they hire spaces, but many will not allow Hindu rituals.

“There are generations growing up without a place of worship or proper connection to their culture and roots. Some elderly people have a wish that before they die they have a temple here. We want local schools to be able to visit because they go to churches and mosques but never get to visit a temple,” Nigam-Saxena said.

The 0.25 hectares plot of land, next to a lake, owned by the developer, is being given to the council who will grant a 999-year lease to one faith/community group at a peppercorn rent (nominal, extremely low, or zero-value payment).

Two bids were received — one by HSN and one by Northstowe Church Network in collaboration with Northstowe Muslims, its proposed anchor tenant. The church proposes a church, a hall to be used for Muslim Friday Prayers, an Islamic prayer room for Islamic classes and daily prayers, a café, community spaces and garden.

HSN proposes an interfaith, community and wellbeing hub for 79% of the space, that will include a kitchen, café, STEM, coding and yoga classes, etc., and two prayer rooms that all faiths can use. “Those two rooms wouldn’t have any Hindu gods in them as we are aware some religions do not allow iconography,” Nigam-Saxena said. A Hindu temple will be constructed in 21% of the space.

There are already lots of churches and mosques in the vicinity, she said.

South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Cabinet will decide who to award the land to in June. A public consultation, which has just concluded, will feed into their decision.

But Nigam-Saxena is not happy with the assessment summary that council officers prepared, which, she said, did not properly reflect the HSN proposal. Officers criticised HSN for failing to establish a financial track record, which she says for a new organisation like theirs would be impossible. Officers also criticised HSN for not evidencing engagement with the broader community.

Although three further plots of land will come up for bidding in the future, HSN has its heart set on this one. “For us, it’s really an amazing parcel of land because it sits right next to a lake, which is auspicious.”

“There is a real urgency behind our project. We don’t have close families here so little things like birthdays and anniversaries, it is important for us to go to a place of worship,” she said.

Revd Beth Cope, pioneer minister for Northstowe Church Network, told TOI that Hindus would be allowed to use its multipurpose spaces for any purpose, including worship. “We celebrate that both organisations believe they are in a position to respond to the council's tender opportunity,” Cope said.