Tucked within the Belgrave neighbourhood of Leicester, the Peepul Centre is a multi-purpose community and arts facility that has been part of the local area since 2005. Designed by Andrzej Blonski Architects, the building cost £15 million to construct and brought together an unusually wide range of services and spaces under one roof. The project was originally conceived in the 1990s by the Belgrave Baheno Women’s Organisation, whose vision shaped what the centre eventually became.
What the Centre Contains
The Peepul Centre houses an auditorium and theatre, bars and restaurants, a banqueting suite, a cyber café, a gym, a spa, a sports hall, a dance studio, and art spaces. It also has a children’s day nursery and training rooms, and the building is regularly used for conferences, weddings, corporate events, and celebrations. Health services are also provided on site, including a mental health café, which broadens the centre’s role beyond arts and leisure.
History and Notable Events
The Peepul Centre encountered financial difficulties in 2007, the same year it gained wider national attention when it hosted Prime Minister Gordon Brown and other senior Labour Party figures during hustings for the 2007 Labour Party deputy leadership election. Plans have been put forward to expand the facility further, with an aqua spa and a recording studio among the proposed additions.