1. We are a group of residents from the city of Southend-on-Sea; and in 2020 we came together to establish a charity to help the under-served members of our community, including the recent arrivals from south India and other parts of the world. A community centre, managed by our charity, is housed in a rented makeshift hall in 105, Sutton Road, Southend on Sea. As part of our charity. we provide people, belonging to diEerent sects of Hindu faith, a place for worship at the community centre.

In addition, we organise classes for (a) adults in Microsoft applications such as Excel, Power Point and Publisher; and (b) children in classical music, Vedhic teachings and multi faith studies.

2. According to 2021 census, there were approximately 1650 (0.9% of the population) practising Hindus in the postcode area of Southend. It is believed that the local Hindu population has since doubled, comprising mostly young people leaving London and coming to live in Southend. It is reflected in the increase in the number of devotees attending the temple. This population trend could be attributed to several factors including London cost of living, high rents, traffic and air pollution; benefit of working from home; good quality public transport links within Southend, and to and from London; grammar schools; and lastly, good quality of life in a seaside environment.

Space in our current temple/community centre in Sutton Road, is very limited as only about 65 sqm of floor area is available for our use, as a meeting place for the community, and which is woefully inadequate. People struggle to set foot into the temple hall on days, when we celebrate cultural and religious events such as New Year, Thai Pongal (harvest festival), Shiva Rathiri, Diwali, Navarathiri Shirdi Saibaba aratis and to participate in rituals and poojas on auspicious days as defined by the Hindu Calendar.

The charity is compelled to operate from the same community hall. Lack of a dedicated office room is not conducive to our work, a shortcoming that adversely affects effective administration and management of the charity. In short, we are failing to achieve our charity objectives, for want of adequate space in Sutton Road.

We would like to point out that there are no other comparable facilities in Southend or surrounding areas to serve the local community.

3. Therefore, our main objective is to secure a property with a spacious hall, for a Hindu temple that will include a dedicated area for our community centre. We have identified a Salvation Army property in Southchurch Road, Southend, which we consider suitable for our temple/community centre.

4. The Salvation Army Hall is a single storey building with pitched roof, currently being used for community functions as part of the Salvation Army charity. The space presents an open plan with some partitioned rooms to provide separation, whilst the overall floor area is 2029 sq ft. There are WC/Kitchen facilities within the building. It is a well-maintained building with a separate access to the side of the property. In addition, it is in a location that is well served by public transport links.

5. We believe the much larger Salvation Army Hall in Southchurch Road, at an easily accessible location, will meet our requirements.