Woolwich temple says Greenwich ignored its parking permit concerns

A Hindu temple in Woolwich says Greenwich Council has ignored its concerns over plans for parking permits on St Margarets Grove, and warns the change could keep worshippers and volunteers away.

The Shree Kutch Satsang Swaminarayan Temple is on the residential road, where anyone can currently park for free. Under the council’s proposal, a resident permit would be needed Monday to Sunday, between 8.30am and 6.30pm, and pay by phone spaces and disabled bays would be added.

Why Greenwich Council wants parking permits in Woolwich

The road falls under the council’s Sustainable Streets programme, which would create new permit parking areas across Woolwich. The council says the aim is to manage demand for spaces and make streets more pleasant for residents and visitors.

Residents of St Margarets Grove back the plan. They say commuters leave cars outside their homes all day and that large temple events bring the road to a standstill. The council said it had listened to residents and temple representatives, calling the proposal an “effort to balance the views” of both.

Temple petition over St Margarets Grove permits

After the plans were announced, the temple handed the council a petition with more than 800 signatures objecting to the changes, and hundreds of its members lodged objections in the public consultation. Nilesh Pindoria said the temple suggested in March that permits apply only on weekdays, from 11am to 3pm, to deal with commuter parking. When the council said in August that the changes would go ahead, the temple felt those ideas had been ignored.

Treasurer Parbat Rudha said losing free parking felt like a “slap in the face” after 40 years of working with the council. “We said from the start we’re willing to work with the council,” he said.

The temple depends on unpaid volunteers who run classes, work in the kitchen and maintain the building, a form of selfless service Hindus call seva. Leaders fear paid parking would discourage that help and reduce the community services on offer. They also say older worshippers and families with young children would find it harder to come.

Temple representative Dinesh Hirani said volunteers had kept the temple going for 40 years, and that he was “most worried about the future of the seva” there.

Priya Bhanderi, from Welling, has a child at the temple nursery. She said the plans would make life harder for her family, because visits to the temple help her eldest son, who is neurodivergent, keep to a routine. Parking further away or using public transport was “not a feasible option” for them, she said.