SOUTH Essex’s Hindus have has shown an interest in using Leigh’s former St Clement’s church hall site for a new community centre.

The Hindu Association (Southend and District) has been searching for a suitable meeting place for its members for some time.

It recently showed an interest in the church hall site, in Rectory Grove – the subject of several controversial planning applications in recent years.

Michael Riddell, of developer Lacey Enterprises, already has planning permission to build 20 flats and a community hall on the site.

However a fresh application for the site included no mention of a hall, with the developer claiming it had failed to find anyone interested in running one.

Local Hindu association general secretary Niki Mistry said: “For a long time, we have been looking for a suitable gathering place for Southend’s Hindu community to meet and host the smaller of our celebrations.

“The Hindu community appreciates as it is made up of working people, any community centre or hall would be empty for large periods of time and would be willing to share such a building with local residents.”

If a deal were to be possible, the association would need to seek the approval of the Hindu community before going ahead.

The most recent proposals for the site were withdrawn just before a planning meeting at which Southend councillors were due to vote on them. Planning officers had recommended they be refused.

However, agent Robert Pomery, of Pomery Planning Consultants, said recommendation had nothing to do with the last-minute withdrawal.

He said: “We had submitted information the council had asked for about affordable housing.

“The council gave it to its consultants and they reported back and raised a few questions. We simply ran out of time to answer them before the meeting “We will be putting a plan back in again.”

Mr Pomery added he would pass word of the Hindu association’s interest in the hall to his client, but was unable to comment on it.