Gurdwara's plan for bigger kitchen to provide more free meals during cost of living crisis

A gurdwara is looking to build a bigger kitchen to provide more free meals during the cost of living crisis. Gurdwara Guru Har Rai Sahib Ji in West Bromwich High Street has revealed plans to convert a neighbouring former factory into a new community space which includes a prayer hall, community kitchen and classrooms.

The gurdwara said the larger langar, a community kitchen found in gurdwaras that offers free meals cooked by volunteers to all including non-Sikhs, was needed to cope with increasing demand. The gurdwara said it had received more calls by the community to increase the availability of free meals which has rocketed alongside a greater reliance on food banks in recent years and exacerbated during the ongoing cost of living crisis.

The work would also allow Punjabi classes to move from the main gurdwara to the new facilities. The gurdwara also said the new facilities would help ‘aid the transition’ to the proposed new place of worship on the existing George Street/Thomas Street car park.

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Planning permission was granted for a new gurdwara in 2019 and again in 2022. The gurdwara earlier received planning permission for a nursery and classrooms at the start of 2023. The now-empty factory in George Street was last owned by Bridgewater Filters before it closed 18 months ago.

A statement included with the application to Sandwell Council said: “The proposal is for the change of use of premises to provide worship and langar facilities to the community as a need for food banks has increased considerably within the cost-of-living crisis and associated classrooms for Punjabi classes, which are currently taught at George Street, West Bromwich, at Gurdwara Guru Har Rai Sahib Ji opposite.

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“At the same time, it was discovered that numbers attending the weekly gurdwara meetings for worship and social occasions were experiencing problems due to lack of space which interfered with the smooth running of the establishment. The increase in the number of people seeking food has increased during this time, also this will aid with the transition to the bigger gurdwara building as currently the small hall only accommodates 50 people at a time.”

Gurdwara Guru Har Rai Sahib Ji opened in 1979 and is one of the UK’s largest. The planning statement in the application goes on to say: “The size of the proposal is for a small-scale change of use, which would have no material impact on the wider area.

"The changes to the existing building would be very successful in this vicinity which will only add as a positive project to help bring up the surrounding area.”