Plans submitted to Harrow Council propose demolishing the scout hut in Kenton and building a two-storey temple to serve the local Swaminarayan Gurukul Rajkot section of the Hindu community.
The Hindu group is currently based at Priestmean Primary School in Hartford Avenue – just under two miles away.
However, the plans have received a backlash from the St Panteleimon Greek Orthodox Church, which is located just metres away and comprises clergy, council members and volunteers.
A consultation resulted in 162 objections, including the Orthodox Churches priest who claims to be “deeply concerned” about the impact the temple would have on their life and the “quiet enjoyment” of their home.
The priest, who lives in the vicarage in Kenton Road, suggested the temple would worsen congestion and could “cause friction” with worshippers, as well as parents at the nearby St Panteleimon Nursery School.
They also claim the application has given no consideration to services and are concerned about noise such as cars and “noisy drumming”.
While some opposition came from residents and the nearby nursery school, the vast majority was associated with the church. The objectors largely echoed the same sentiments, including concerns about the possibility of up to 200 people congregating and suggested the community could use four other nearby temple sites.
However, the applicant has disputed a number of the claims, stating it is “not clear” where the figure of 200 people has come from and accused the church of providing “clearly misleading information”.
Alongside the temple, there are plans for an additional two-bedroom accommodation for the priest.
The application proposes 30-minute prayer sessions seven days a week from 9am, with between five and 10 attendees, as well as additional half an hour prayer sessions from 6.30pm on weekdays – with between 10 and 12 members expected – and 30-minute sessions at 6.30pm on weekends attended by between 25 and 50 people.
They also outline plans for weekly ‘children’s cultural classes’ to take place between 7.30pm and 9pm for 15 to 20 attendees and monthly festival celebrations from 6pm to 9pm for between 50 and 100 attendees.
The applicant also pointed out that the other temples in the area are not Grukul centres – a distinct community and religious teaching system – and would be prepared to manage traffic and noise.
They added: “Based on the activity at the church, which has been set out in the objection letter, there is already a significant amount of noise and disturbance as a result of the church activities and other comments demonstrate that the church causes a significant number of the problems already being experienced. The proposed use can be conditioned to ensure that the site is suitably managed, so that it does not add to the issues the church is creating which cannot be managed by them.”
Whilst council officers agree that other temples in the area provide services for a different part of the Hindu community, they have recommended that the application be refused on the grounds of noise and traffic issues.
The application will be reviewed by Harrow Council’s planning committee next week (March 12) where a decision on whether to approve the plan will be made.
