A SIKH temple will be demolished to make way for 19 flats and two houses.

Last night(July 29), Gravesham Council’s regulatory board gave developer Thamesview Living permission for its plans for the Siri Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara, Clarence Place, Gravesend.

The building, which has been a Sikh temple since 1968, is more than 100 years old and now in a state of disrepair.

An £11m new Gurdwara in Khalsa Avenue, Gravesend, was partially opened for religious services on July 1.

At the meeting, the board’s vice chairman Councillor Robin Theobald said: “The building was not used before it became the Gurdwara, and I do not see a demand for this type of building going forward.”

A decision on a further application proposing converting the Guru Nanak Day Centre, The Grove, into six flats was deferred after representatives from neighbouring Hope Church raised objections.