Photo: kubicki.me
:dateline:Leamington & Warwick Gurdwara Sahib have submitted planning�permission for a new �Community, Sports and Cultural Centre� on the current Gurdwara site where�the former Gurdwara building and Sikh Community Centre is situated.
The planning permission�(planning reference no.: W/15/1155) is for building a permanent Sikh Community, Sports and�Cultural Centre in place of the existing building that were previously scheduled for demolition.
The Council had granted temporary permission for the former Gurdwara building to be used,�however the permission has now come to an end. Currently, the Gurdwara carpark is fully used and�any additional use of the site would have impact on the carparking.
To view and make a comment on the planning permission, view link
These buildings have been in the past at the centre of much controversy, with distrust amongst some�members of the local and wider Sikh community with the management of the Gurdwara as to their�real intention of using these buildings.
There are fears that in the name of a �Community Sports and�Cultural Centre�, wedding receptions and parties will be held with people serving and consuming�alcohol and meat, as well as having dancing and music, which is against Sikh tenants and is strictly�prohibited on any Gurdwara owned property.
Although many a times the Gurdwara management�committee of Leamington & Warwick Gurdwara have attempted to reassure the Sikh community�that no alcohol or meat would be allowed on the site or new Sikh Community Centre, many believe�the management committee would make a U-turn once planning permission would get passed.
Last year, 5 March 2014, Sikh24 reported on Leamington & Warwick Gurdwara management�committee�s propsal for a �bar� to the Local Council (planning application reference no:�W/14/0164). On 4 February 2014, the Sikh Cultural and Sports Community Centre Committee and�the Trustees of Gurdwara Sahib had submitted a proposal for a new community centre that included�a �bar� that would be open 7 days a week to the local Warwick District Council. After heavy criticism�from Sikhs across the country, the Gurdwara retracted their planning permission for a �bar� and�claimed that it was not an alcohol bar but a �sandwich� and �soft-drinks� bar. However, criticism�followed as concerned Sikhs questioned why someone would want to buy a sandwich from a “bar��at 11pm in the evening.
