Peterborough mosque group reveals major plans for community hub as site of current Hindu temple
Plans have been revealed for a major new community hub project which has been planned at the site of the current Hindu temple in Peterborough.
A judicial review is currently with the High Court over the future of the Bharat Hindu Samaj temple at the New England Complex on Lincoln Road, Millfield.
The review has been requested by worshippers after Peterborough City Council approved the sale of the building to the Masjid Khadijah and the Islamic Centre of Khadijah Mosque, of Cromwell Road earlier this year.
A hearing over whether or not the review will take place is set to take place in either May or June but, in the meantime, the mosque group has revealed the plans it has for the site.
Masjid Khadijah and Islamic Centre is a community centre established in 1986, in a small house on Cromwell Road, and has been expanding ever since. Religious leaders have now said that they have outgrown their home of nearly 40 years and will move ahead with plans for a ‘flagship facility designed to scale our impact across the whole city.’
UKIM Peterborough, also known locally as Masjid Khadijah and Islamic Centre, is part of the United Kingdom Islamic Mission, and is a UK-registered charity that has been serving communities for more than 60 years.
Leaders have said that: “The expansion of the masjid over the past 20 years has totally exhausted the land between the two houses and joint garden. We are now motivated more than ever to take this step and Insha’Allah continue to grow as a masjid and community.
“Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said, ‘Whoever builds a Masjid for the sake of Allah, Allah will build for him a house in Paradise,’ we see this expansion as more than just a project; it’s a path to collective reward and spiritual growth.”
Plans for the new community hub state that there will be an increased number of prayer rooms for both males and females as current Jummahs (Friday prayers) at Masjid Khadijah regularly see worshippers spilling out onto the streets or even turned away due to capacity issues.
There would also be more classrooms, an enhanced Wudhu area (washing area), sports and recreation facilities as well as on-site parking.
This will help to provide services such as: youth clubs and mentoring programmes, education and skills training, community events and meeting spaces, wellbeing and advice services and partnerships with local charities and public organisations
The website states that the purpose is to create a multi-use community centre which can be used by all people across Peterborough.
It states: “Our intention is to create a multi-use community centre serving residents from across Peterborough. The goal is a welcoming and inclusive space, with faith activities forming only one part of a wider model of community service.
“Our proposal has consistently been for a broader community hub model, not a single-use site. Our published vision includes youth activities, education and skills support, wellbeing and advice services, community meetings, events and partnership work with local agencies and voluntary groups. Faith use would sit within that wider community-centre model.”
The charity has previously said that it rejects the framing of the situation as “one faith community against another.”
To find out more about the plans, visit https://new.khadijah.org.uk/.