Planners clear way for Britain's first Hindu state school

A Hindu charity has won permission to build Britain's first Hindu state school in London.

The I-Foundation said Harrow council had granted planning consent for its the 236-place school by a vote of 5-0. However, the three Labour members of the planning committee abstained.

There had been local concerns over the use of playing fields to build the school. Some residents object to the scheme, saying it would destroy playing fields and a football pitch used by amateur side Belmont.

But the I-Foundation is promising to pay for improved football facilities for Belmont at the site.

Harrow council had no one available to comment.

The foundation's spokesman said the school would cost about £10million to build and is expected to open its doors to its first pupils in September next year.

Sited on Camrose Avenue, Edgware, the primary school will be at the heart of the highest concentration of Hindus in Britain, with about a third of local residents following the faith.

I-Foundation Director Nitesh Gor said: "This is an incredibly exciting moment for the UK's Hindu community. It is the first time the choice of a faith-based education will be extended to Hindus alongside Christians, Muslims, Jews and Sikhs."

The school will also be one of the greenest in the country, featuring a grass roof, lavatories flushed by rainwater, solar panels and a vegetable garden. The design by architects Cottrell and Vermeulen, who have worked on Tate Britain, makes use of the Hindu equivalent of feng-shui, known as vastu. There will also be a Hindu temple on site.

Brian Vermeulen said: "The link with nature is important in Hinduism. Children's learning will extend into the landscape."

The go-ahead came the day after the Government reaffirmed its commitment to faith schools in a statement issued with religious groups.

But the Faith In The System document was attacked by teachers, with the Association of Teachers and Lecturers questioning why state funding should be spent on nurturing children in a particular faith.

About 6,850 schools from a total of nearly 21,000 maintained schools have a religious character. Most are Church of England and Roman Catholic. The remainder comprise 37 Jewish schools; seven Muslim schools; two Sikh schools; one Greek Orthodox and one Seventh Day Adventist school.