In April 2025, Peterborough Council announced it would sell the site of the Bharat Hindu Samaj Mandir. The Mandir team agreed to purchase the site for £1.3 million and commenced fundraising. As the community marked Navaratri in September 2025, the Labour led coalition in charge of Peterborough City Council took a U-turn on its agreement with the Mandir by placing the site on the open market. The Mandir was given only 2 weeks to submit a new bid which was made on the basis of 70% financial, 20% social value and 10% deliverability/future benefit. This weighting is usually applicable to commercial property and not community groups. The bidding process closed in December 2025 and the council selected Masjid Khadijah & Islamic Centre of Khadijah Mosque as the preferred bidder.
In January 2026, the Peterborough Council’s Scrutiny Committee recommended that the Council Cabinet should pause the sale of the site citing concerns with the sale process. Despite this guidance, the Council’s Cabinet; led by Shabina Qayyum (Labour), went ahead with its sale to the Mosque group. On 27 February 2026, the High Court stepped in and issued an interim injunction preventing the Council from selling the site. The Judge noted concerns about the council’s transparency and the potential risk that the legal challenge could be undermined.