London, Feb. 25 -- A 40-year-old Hindu temple and community centre located within a complex in the eastern England city of Peterborough fears closure after the local council upheld a decision to sell the building it rents out.

Bharat Hindu Samaj Mandir, established in the city's New England Complex in 1986 and serving over 13,000 Hindus from across the wider region of Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Lincolnshire, had been campaigning for Peterborough City Council to reconsider its decision.

However, a council cabinet meeting earlier this month concluded that it had a "legal obligation to achieve best value for taxpayers on the sale of assets".

"We strongly condemn the sale of Bharat Hindu Samaj. An institution built by the community should...