Sikh weddings for 800 guests rejected by council

A Sikh temple has said brides were being forced to marry out of town as its bid to host weddings for more than 800 guests was rejected by a council.

Operators of Telford Gurdwara at Abbey House, Priorslee, Shropshire, said it had held services and charity events for similar numbers on "multiple occasions" with "no disruptions".

The temple, on Whitechapel Way, already has permission for up to five weddings a year with fewer guests, but requested up to 30 events, for as many as 881 people.

Highways officers at Telford & Wrekin Council said their opposition could change if the gurdwara was to come up with a plan to deal with overspill parking.

Council planners were told there was a cultural significance in weddings being held in the town where the bride lived.

"Our girls are being forced to get married in Wolverhampton or Birmingham where there is no such restriction," a temple spokesperson said.

Planning officers said there was an "insufficient quantity of car parking to support the intensity and frequency of weddings proposed", which could lead to cars spilling out onto surrounding roads.

The application stated the gurdwara had permission to use neighbouring car parks owned by the PDSA and the Learning Community Trust during larger events.

But Robert Beck of the PDSA disputed this, saying ad hoc consent had been given previously and would continue to be considered, but there was "no intention to permit the use of our car park on a more regular basis".

He added he was concerned more weddings would cause problems for PDSA staff trying to access the head office site.

The highways department has said its current opposition "would not prejudice any future planning applications or submission of revised information".

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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