PLANS for a Hindu temple offering sport and culture in Kingsbury are taking shape, with designs already drawn up.

The 1,000 strong Shree Swaminarayan Temple, in Golders Green, has overgrown its current home and wants to move to a new site at McNicholas House, in Kingsbury Road.

The proposals got the blessing of foreign secretary David Miliband, who described them as “progressive”, when the designs were unveiled at the House of Commons last week.

Plans have not yet been submitted but if the project goes ahead there will be space for sports ranging from cricket to football and netball alongside maths tuition and music classes.

Kausik Varsani, a spokesman for the group, said the temple's congregation usually stands at around 500 people and told the Harrow Times the new complex, if built, would have enough space for parking.

He said: “We understand the needs of the youth and the community.

“It's not just a place of worship – it will be a complex that will serve the needs of the youths with sports facilities and cultural facilities.”

Shree Swaminarayan Gadi Sansthan, the organisation that runs it, has temples in countries across the world, from its base in Ahmedabad, India, to Kenya, where its cricket coaches supply players to the country's national side.

In England, members are sent out to get FA football coaching qualifications, so they can give training sessions, and classes are open to the whole community.

Sports lessons, which also include badminton, volleyball and netball, are open to woman as well as men, and the temple held what it described as the first ever ladies only five-a-side football tournament in December.

The organisation has a world-renowned pipe band and the local branch marches through the streets around the Golders Green temple on special occasions like Diwali – a practice which would continue at its new home.

There are hopes to expand its numbers from 50 to 100 over the next three years.

Mr Varsani said the temple would be there for all residents, not just for worshipers.

He said: “It's important to integrate with the community and we've got many examples to show how we do this.

“During Diwali every night we invite our neighbours. We send out special invitations and they come down and there's food to eat.”

The temple would be built on a large site which Mr Varsani said would include enough parking spaces to accommodate everyone who uses the temple regularly for worship.

A planning application is likely to be submitted in the next two to three months.