Dozens of Hindu worshippers from Peterborough travelled to London as a judicial review opened over the city council’s decision to sell the site of the Bharat Hindu Samaj temple to the United Kingdom Islamic Mission, intensifying a dispute over faith, public assets and local authority decision-making.
The High Court hearing centres on the New England Complex on Rock Road, where Bharat Hindu Samaj has operated since 1986. The temple says the sale threatens the principal Hindu place of worship for communities across Peterborough and parts of the east of England, while Peterborough City Council says it followed a lawful process and had to secure best value for taxpayers from the disposal of public property.
The case has drawn large community interest, with an overflow room arranged at court as supporters followed proceedings. The temple’s challenge seeks to quash the council’s February 10 decision to proceed with the sale, arguing that cabinet members were not properly informed about the consequences of the transaction, including the likelihood that the temple could eventually have to leave the premises.
Bharat Hindu Samaj’s barrister, Toby Fisher, told the court the case was not an attack on the United Kingdom Islamic Mission or its bid. The temple’s argument is that a long-standing tenant representing more than 14,000 Hindus in the region was denied a lawful process. He said the likely impact on Hindu worshippers, including their ability to practise their faith if no suitable alternative site was available, should have been clearly placed before the council’s cabinet.
The temple has been based at the complex for four decades and uses the site for worship, cultural teaching, school visits, vegetarian lunch clubs, language activities and community events. Its trustees say negotiations with the council over a possible transfer of the property had been running since around 2017, creating an expectation that the charity would be given a viable path to secure its future at the site.
The dispute escalated after Bharat Hindu Samaj made a £1.3 million offer in April 2025, with social value linked to its services assessed at more than £500,000. The United Kingdom Islamic Mission later submitted an offer in the range of £1.3 million to £1.4 million and offered to beat any existing cash offer by up to five per cent. The mission’s proposal included redevelopment of the wider site as the Khadijah Centre, with religious facilities intended for the Muslim community.
Council officers moved the disposal process to best and final offers in September 2025, with bids due the following month. A decision to sell was taken in December, then referred back after scrutiny concerns that cabinet members did not have sufficient information. The cabinet upheld the sale on February 10.
The temple argues that the later bidding process marked a departure from years of negotiations and that officers’ assessment failed to give cabinet members a full picture. It says the council did not adequately consider equality duties under the Equality Act 2010, particularly the effect on a protected religious community if the temple lost its only established base in the area.
Peterborough City Council rejects the claim. Its legal team says the temple’s arguments lack merit and that cabinet members were not misled. The council says the decision followed years of engagement, a transparent and fair bidding process, and proper consideration of the sensitivities surrounding a long-standing place of worship. It also maintains that the sale was not with vacant possession and that existing tenants retain rights under their leases.
The case follows an interim injunction granted in February by Mr Justice Fordham, which prevented the council from taking irreversible steps over the disposal while the legal challenge was examined. The order gave the temple temporary protection and allowed the dispute to move towards a fuller hearing.
