313Ghazi
Elite Member
LONDON: A temple serving 18,000 Hindus in Peterborough and surrounding counties has been thrown a lifeline by a high court judge who has issued a temporary injunction preventing the sale of the building it is in to a mosque.
The Bharat Hindu Samaj Temple (BHS) was established in the New England Complex in Peterborough in 1986 by Ugandan Hindu refugees. Apart from being a place of worship, it offers luncheon clubs for the elderly, runs a dementia centre, yoga classes, and Indian language classes.
Peterborough city council decided to sell the building. In Oct 2025 the temple put in a £1.4 million bid to purchase it. It was one of two bidders. In Dec the council cabinet decided to sell it to “Bidder B”. The identity was never disclosed by the council, but the temple found out via its solicitors that it was a mosque.
This decision was called in by the scrutiny committee amid concerns proper processes were not followed but the cabinet reaffirmed its decision on Feb 10. This triggered the temple to commence a judicial review in the London high court challenging the council’s decision, naming the Masjid Khadijah and the Islamic Centre of Khadijah mosque in Peterborough as interested parties.
The Bharat Hindu Samaj Temple (BHS) was established in the New England Complex in Peterborough in 1986 by Ugandan Hindu refugees. Apart from being a place of worship, it offers luncheon clubs for the elderly, runs a dementia centre, yoga classes, and Indian language classes.
Peterborough city council decided to sell the building. In Oct 2025 the temple put in a £1.4 million bid to purchase it. It was one of two bidders. In Dec the council cabinet decided to sell it to “Bidder B”. The identity was never disclosed by the council, but the temple found out via its solicitors that it was a mosque.
This decision was called in by the scrutiny committee amid concerns proper processes were not followed but the cabinet reaffirmed its decision on Feb 10. This triggered the temple to commence a judicial review in the London high court challenging the council’s decision, naming the Masjid Khadijah and the Islamic Centre of Khadijah mosque in Peterborough as interested parties.



