A High Court judge has temporarily blocked Peterborough City Council from proceeding with the sale of a building that has housed a Hindu temple for 40 years, following a judicial review challenge by the community group.
The interim order, granted on 27 February, prevents the council from taking any “irreversible step” towards disposing of the New England Complex in Millfield, which is home to the Bharat Hindu Samaj temple. The injunction also bars the council from instructing or encouraging others to act on the sale.
Mr Justice Fordham issued the holding order after expressing concern at the lack of transparency from the local authority. “The defendant appears to have brought this situation on itself,” he said. “It has received communications and acknowledged them and spoken of taking instructions. But I have seen no substantive response and no transparency as to the practical position.”
The judge added that he was not prepared to allow proceedings to be “frustrated by action unknown to the claimant or court.”
The temple has served an estimated 13,500 Hindus from across Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, and Lincolnshire for four decades. The council first agreed to sell the complex in December as part of efforts to reduce its debts, despite a £1.2 million offer from the current users.
The decision was initially “called in” by three councillors on Christmas Eve, who demanded a second look at the proposal, arguing that the social value of the centre had not been properly considered. Following a scrutiny committee meeting and a subsequent cabinet review, councillors reaffirmed their decision to proceed, pledging to find alternative premises within six months.
Campaigners have gathered more than 18,000 signatures on a petition opposing the sale.
The council and interested parties, including the Masjid Khadijah, which is also named in the proceedings, have until 4pm on 3 March to make submissions. The judge will consider all papers on or after 5 March.
A council spokesperson said: “We are aware of the legal action being pursued… and will now engage in the legal process.” They declined further comment.
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