New Buddhist Centre for Southampton?

Following on from our previous story about the biggest Buddhist Temple in Europe opening soon outside Paris comes news that a new Buddhist centre is planned, just over the Solent from us, in Southampton.

It's not quite on the same scale but the plan is to convert the Plume of Feathers Pub in the St Mary's area of the city, which has been boarded up for several months, into a meditation centre.

The Triratna Buddhist Order's Southampton group has submitted a planning application to develop the pub. (Triratna refers to the Triple Gem of Buddhism, the Buddha, the Dharma and Sangha. The group were previously known as the FWBO, Friends of the Western Buddhist Order.)

Leader Dharma Modna declined to comment on the proposal until the planning application had been heard.

Local councillor Sarah Bogle said: "I think it's a really novel idea. I was surprised, to be honest, when I saw the planning application but also I thought why not? It's at the heart of the city, it is a multi-cultural area, it's very easy to access if anyone is coming into the city.

I welcome this sort of development. It's an interesting use of a building - a complete change of use which I definitely support."