North Riding residents were informed of how the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) temple will be built and to address their concerns at a public meeting held on 28 November.
Architect Anil Parshotom, who has been involved in building religious structures and community centres for over 30 years, said that the project will be built in the same successful manner as those build in other communities.
He said, “With the migration of Hindu communities from historically segregated areas to areas in the north, there is a dire need for facilities like this.
“When we looked at the placement of the structure, we tried to place it as far away as possible from the edges of the residential neighbourhood. Hindu religion is not a loud and noisy religion, they believe in meditation and yoga, and prayers and chanting is a sombre and respectful occasion.”
Parshotom said that the state-of-the-art temple’s design will be centred on functional spaces to become a true religious sanctuary, integrating into the northern suburbs, but to become a true community centre.
Addressing noise concerns from the surrounding community, Parshotom said that the actual temple structure will be placed nearer to Witkoppen Road and will face the industrial area to alleviate any noise concerns from the surrounding neighbourhood.
Once the project is completed, Parshotom said that there is a group of structures near Dexter Road that will only make a little noise during occasional banqueting functions such as wedding ceremonies, which will not occur daily.
These facilities may at some point be available for hire for the local community, but it is also to be noted that liquor and meat will not be allowed on the premises.
Waste from the facility will also be managed to ensure it is done in an environmentally friendly manner.
Parshotom said, “In historically segregated areas, temples often had insufficient parking, so in our more modern designs, we have made sure that parking will be more than adequate and will not disturb the roads in the area.”
He highlighted another important aspect of the design of the area to include highly maintained green open spaces, including a promenade and building structures that are not tall.
“The tallest structure will be the temple itself, but even that will not intrude on the landscape,” he added.
Parshotom acknowledged that in a meeting with the head of the BAPS organisation, that better consultation with the surrounding community could have taken place, and for that, he apologised.
“There was a lot of excitement to get the project started, and in that temporary structures were erected, which did not allow for better management of sound, and for that, we apologise,” he concluded.
Going forward, the construction work will continue with formal structures, entrances and parking areas in an aim to alleviate noise complaints from the surrounding neighbourhood.
Parshotom said that the project will be undertaken most respectfully, and upon completion, will be respectful to the surrounding community for years to come.
