LONDON – A community of British Sikhs has won a legal battle to stop the construction of a meat processing plant next to their Gurdwara in Bradford city.
The community and worshippers at the Guru Gobind Singh Gurdwara on Leeds Road said they felt offended by the expansion bid by supermarket chain Pakeezah.
They told planners that hearing carcasses being cut up would upset worshippers at prayer as many Sikhs are strict vegetarians.
But despite their protests, a planning panel at Bradford Council granted the food company permission to convert a car workshop in nearby Percival Street into a wholesale meat plant in August last year.
Worshippers then challenged the matter in the High Court and the Council yesterday said it had decided not to defend its decision meaning Pakeezah’s planning permission is now void.
The Gurdwara’s general secretary Govinder Singh Dhaliwal said they were delighted by the Council’s decision and were grateful for all the support they had received from Bradford’s other religious groups during their fight.
He said, “This decision will strengthen the relationships among the faith communities and their support is a good example of community cohesion. This decision by the Council strengthens our belief in the democratic political process, which has responded to public opinion”.
Council leader, Councillor David Green, said, “We have listened to the considerable concerns expressed by local people and groups about the planning application. In light of the legal advice we’ve received, we’d rather not spend any public money and have therefore decided not to oppose the judicial review”.
Pakeezah’s director Tariq Haq was unavailable for comment.
