Phase 1 Faith & Community Land · Northstowe · South Cambridgeshire

A Place That Belongs
to Everyone
in Northstowe

A proposal for a Northstowe Interfaith, Wellbeing & Community Hub — with a Hindu place of worship. Designed by local residents. Built for the whole town. Grounded in evidence.

Have Your Say → Read the Proposal ↓
79%
Secular community & wellbeing spaces
2,700+
Annual beneficiaries projected
9
Partner organisations
97%
Survey support for health & youth
£0
Borrowing — zero risk to Northstowe
🗳️ The public consultation is now open —  find out how to share your views with the Council
The Proposal

A Community Hub That Puts Northstowe First

Hindu Samaj Northstowe (HSN) has submitted a bid for the Phase 1 faith and community land — a site adjacent to the lake, designated for faith and community use.

The proposal is for a permanent Interfaith, Wellbeing & Community Hub, with a Hindu place of worship as part of a larger civic facility open to every resident regardless of faith, background, or belief.

The majority of the building is secular, shared community space. The Mandir — the Hindu place of worship — occupies 21% of the internal area. The remaining 79% is community, wellbeing, interfaith, and activity space available to all.

✅
Open to everyone — of any faith or none
✅
Founded in Northstowe — by local residents, for local residents
✅
Addresses an identified gap — no Hindu temple exists anywhere in Cambridgeshire
✅
Zero borrowing — fully funded before each phase begins

How the internal space is allocated:

79%
Interfaith & Wellbeing
Community Hub
21%
Hindu
Mandir

73% of the total site is open, unfenced green space.

Registered Organisation

Hindu Samaj Northstowe · Registered CIO · Charity No. 1213652 · 17 Burrows Way, Northstowe CB24 1AT

Space split animated diagram
Why This Matters

Filling a Gap That Has Existed for Decades

There is no Hindu temple anywhere in Cambridgeshire. For thousands of Hindu residents across the county — families, children, and elderly people — this is not an inconvenience. It is a genuine barrier to practising their faith, maintaining their culture, and feeling fully at home in their community.

ZERO

Hindu temples in the entire county of Cambridgeshire

Every other major faith — Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist — has local places of worship within reach. Hindu residents alone must travel to London, Leicester, or Birmingham — 60 to 90 miles each way — for the same provision.

94%

Face 1+ hour travel each way to worship

Documented in a survey of 104 local Hindu households. A prayer visit requires a 2–3 hour round trip.

93%

Would use a local facility weekly or daily

The demand is committed, documented, and local — not aspirational.

~540

Hindu residents in Northstowe today

Approximately 150 households. As the town grows to 10,000 homes, this need will grow substantially.

East Ham
Birmingham

Where families currently travel to worship

Sacred ceremonies — Mundan, Janoi, birthday pujas — are missed or delayed because there is no local temple.

Faith gap animated chart

"We are the ONLY religion in Cambridge without a religious place — which is so sad."

— Northstowe resident, household survey

What Makes This Proposal Different

The Only Proposal That Addresses the Identified Need

A community hall serves everyone. But a community hall alone cannot restore a 70-mile journey to prayer, allow an elderly resident to attend daily darshan, or give a child their first experience of Hindu festival in their own town. Only a proposal that includes a dedicated Hindu place of worship — alongside world-class community facilities — can address the gap that has been formally evidenced and submitted to the Council.

104

Households formally surveyed

A GDPR-compliant, independently audited household survey — not anecdotal evidence, but a robust dataset available for Council verification.

26

Resident testimonies submitted

Letters from Northstowe families describing specific ceremonies missed, journeys made, and lives affected by the absence of a local temple.

1,024

Signatures of support

Gathered organically through the community without paid promotion — 83% from Cambridgeshire postcodes.

A note on what "community facility" means

Northstowe deserves excellent community infrastructure. Any proposal that delivers a genuinely useful, well-run community facility is welcome. But the Council's own assessment criteria include addressing identified community need. The need for a Hindu place of worship in Cambridgeshire is not theoretical — it is documented, evidenced, and formally submitted. A facility that does not include this provision cannot fulfil that specific identified need, however excellent it may be in other respects.

This proposal addresses both: a permanent Hindu place of worship, and a comprehensive secular community hub serving every resident of Northstowe.

Benefits for All

Open to Every Resident — Regardless of Faith

A survey of 164 local households — including Christian, Atheist, Buddhist, and other residents — found near-unanimous support for the planned activities. This is not a niche facility. It is a civic asset.

🤖

STEM & Youth Education

Robotics, coding, homework support — delivered by CamCare UK, 10+ years delivery record.

🧘

Health & Wellbeing

Yoga, meditation, mental health support, and an Over Day Centre for elderly residents.

🌿

Environment

An outdoor living lab with Cam Together CIC — climate action meets community wellbeing.

🎉

Culture & Festivals

Holi, Diwali, Navratri — and community celebrations open to everyone in Northstowe.

🤝

Social Support

Food redistribution, language cafés, and digital inclusion for residents at risk of isolation.

🕊️

Interfaith Spaces

Prayer and reflection rooms open to all faiths, alongside interfaith dialogue workshops.

Community survey results
Key numbers
Resident Voices

In Their Own Words

These are real, unedited testimonies from Northstowe residents — submitted as formal evidence to the Council. They describe what the absence of a local temple means in practice, every day.

"We are the ONLY religion in Cambridge without a religious place — which is so sad."
— Northstowe resident
"Not visiting a temple routinely has created a big lacuna in our lives and has a painful impact on our emotional wellbeing."
— Northstowe resident
"My kids are always happy visiting a temple in India. I want to see the same excitement in them here."
— Northstowe parent
"We chose to move to Northstowe because we understood there was a real possibility of a temple here. We built our lives around that hope."
— Northstowe family
"The muhurat for our daughter's ceremony was two days earlier than the weekend we could travel. We missed the auspicious day — simply because we have no local temple."
— Northstowe father
"Now getting older — we have to rely on our children to take us to temple. If we had one in Northstowe it would help us feel more independent."
— Northstowe resident
Local Roots

Founded Here. Built for Here.

Hindu Samaj Northstowe was not parachuted in. It was founded in 2022 by people who live in Northstowe — on the same streets, whose children attend the same schools, who attend the same community events.

The proposal has grown from four years of grassroots activity, community consultation, and genuine engagement. Every decision has been made with Northstowe's long-term future in mind — not short-term convenience.

HSN is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation, Charity No. 1213652, based at 17 Burrows Way, Northstowe CB24 1AT.

2022
Hindu Samaj Northstowe founded by Northstowe residents. First community activities begin.
2023–24
Ongoing festivals, Dharma Club youth activities, satsangs, Seva initiatives, and cultural gatherings across Cambridgeshire.
Dec 2025
Community pledging campaign raises £213,648 in 25 days. 183 individual pledges secured.
Jan 2026
1,024 signatures. Household survey completed, independently audited. Bid formally submitted to SCDC.
2026
Public consultation open. Council decision expected Summer 2026.
Future
Phase 1 delivery begins when land awarded. First Hindu Mandir built from scratch in the East of England.
The Consortium

Nine Experienced Partners. One Shared Vision.

The proposal is backed by a consortium of nine audited organisations with decades of combined experience in youth education, wellbeing, community development, temple management, and cultural programming.

CamCare UK

Lead delivery partner for youth & education. 10+ years STEM, robotics, and youth programmes with verified delivery.

Cambridge Hindu Forum

Lead specialist partner. 10+ years of safeguarding, facility management, and temple operations.

Cam Together CIC

Community building, mental health, and climate action. Environmental living lab partner.

Over Day Centre

HSN volunteers have supported elderly Northstowe residents since 2022 — a live, ongoing partnership.

Hindu Mandir Network UK

National advisory body. 120+ Mandirs. Architectural templates, governance models, and project expertise.

Further Partners

Jain Samaj Northstowe · Cambridge University Hindu Cultural Society · Cambridge United Telugu Association · Indian Community Waterbeach · Maharashtra Mandal · Cambourne Hindu Association

1,872
Pro-bono executive hours per year
£80,160
Volunteer sweat equity annually
30+
Regular volunteers
120+
Mandirs advising via HMUK
Financial Responsibility

Fully Funded Before We Build. Every Time.

The project operates on a strict "scale-as-we-fund" model. Every phase begins only when 100% of its funding is secured. No borrowing. No loans. No financial exposure for Northstowe or the Council.

£317,937

Total mobilised to date

Cash in bank, pledges, and grants already secured — before the land has been awarded.

183

Individual pledges in 25 days

£213,648 raised between 26 Dec 2025 and 19 Jan 2026. Community confidence in action.

£44,328

Recurring annual income secured

180 monthly Seva pledges generating £3,694/month — sustainable from day one.

Funding progress animated
🔒

Zero-Borrowing Guarantee

Total projected cost: £3.781 million across 6 phases over 5 years. Phase 1 costs £244,000 — fully funded. No phase begins without 100% of its funding secured in advance. This is not a promise. It is a structural commitment built into how the organisation operates.

"This proposal comes from Northstowe. It was built by Northstowe residents, funded by Northstowe families, and designed for the whole town. We are asking the Council to recognise both the need it addresses and the community it serves." — Hindu Samaj Northstowe · cambridgetemple.org
Public Consultation

Your Voice Matters. Share It.

South Cambridgeshire District Council has opened a public consultation on all proposals for the Northstowe faith and community land. Every resident's view will be considered before the Council makes its decision.

We encourage you to read this proposal carefully, consider what it means for Northstowe's future, and share your views through the official Council process.

Step 1

Visit the official Council consultation page at scambs.gov.uk/northstowe/faith

Step 2

Read the published proposals — including this one — in full.

Step 3

Submit your comments through the Council's official consultation portal.

Step 4

The Council will consider all responses before making its decision, expected Summer 2026.

Go to Official Consultation →

For more about our proposal: cambridgetemple.org · hindusamajnorthstowe@gmail.com