Hindu and Christian groups bid for new town's hub

The first faith and community hub in a new town in Cambridgeshire will either be occupied by a Hindu group or a Christian group which will allocate dedicated space to Muslims, a council said.

People are being invited to offer feedback on two competing bids to build on a 0.25 hectare (0.6 acre) plot in Northstowe.

The successful proposal will be chosen by South Cambridgeshire District Council in June, with the public survey contributing 5% to its overall assessment score for each bid.

There will be three further opportunities for faith or community groups to bid for land in the town, the council said.

The applicant chosen to build their proposed hub on land off Stirling Road will be granted a 999-year leasehold by the council for a peppercorn rent, it said.

The survey runs until 27 April.

Both applicants, Hindu Samaj Northstowe and Northstowe Church Network, were asked to provide community areas accessible to all, including other faith groups.

The latter is made up of Christians from the Church of England, United Reformed Church and Baptist Union. It also has ties with Methodist, Quaker and Catholic groups.

The Hindu Samaj Northstowe's proposals would see 79% of a new building occupied by a wellbeing and community hub, while 21% would be a Hindu temple.

It suggests its proposals will cost £3.781m and will be delivered over five years in six phases, with each beginning only when funding has been secured.

The group said in its application that worshippers based in the Northstowe area had to travel up to an hour and a half to get to the nearest existing Hindu temple, which had led to "suppressed participation and cultural disconnection".

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It added there was limited ability to conduct Hindu rituals in general purpose community buildings due to incompatibilities such as "festivals of many days' duration [and] the requirement for the use of fire".

The temple would be a "shared spiritual home" for Jain, Buddhist and Sikh faith communities, while the rest of the building would provide space for youth programmes, arts and culture, food redistribution and wellbeing sessions, the group said.

The bid is supported by the CamCare UK charity and Cam Together community interest company, as well as seven other Hindu, Jain or Indian cultural associations and groups.

The council's officers said the bid presented "clear evidence of both regional and local need for a temple", but that "more could have been done" to "address local needs outside the faith community".

They added there was "insufficient practical detail" around construction and delivery and an "apparent shortfall of funding pledged against predicted build costs".

The Northstowe Church Network's bid said it would dedicate 19% of its proposed hub to worship-related use, which would include a Christian chapel and an Islamic prayer and education room.

There would also be a cafe, exhibition space, rooftop terrace and "flexible community space" where there would be youth work, therapy and counselling and meeting space for other community groups.

A hall for hire could be used by "other faith groups (e.g. Hindus)", the bid said.

The group suggested its plans would cost £5.6m, with construction lasting 18 months and the building being ready by 2029.

Northstowe Muslims would work towards the development of their own facility while occupying the dedicated prayer room, the Christian bid group said, while the Turtle Dove community interest company and Romsey Mill charity were also key partners.

Others who have supported the bid include the town's Scouts, RAF Air Cadets and the Pathfinder Primary School.

Council officers said the Christian group's bid demonstrated "clear efforts to be inclusive", but it was "unclear" to what extent other faith groups beyond the group's collaborators had been consulted.

They added there was a "clear description of how the project would be funded".

An offer would be made to the successful applicant in August 2026 to allow an appeal period after the council's decision in June.

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