Sikhs in Preston are to get a new £50,000 community centre after proposals got the nod from planning chiefs at Preston City Council.

It is hoped work at The Sikh Community Centre, Great Hanover Street, will be completed by January with an official opening on April 13, to coincide with the Sikh festival of Baisakhi, also known as Vaisakhi, which marks harvest time.

The new facility will include an extension to the existing building which is currently used as a temple.

It was decided to make it bigger to cater for the increasing number of Sikh families in the city.

Punjabi lessons and sporting events for children are possible uses for the new facility to encourage the next generation to keep contact with their roots.

David Singh, secretary of The Community Centre, said: "There are a lot of Sikhs who have lost sight of their mother tongue.

"It's really important they keep in touch with their heritage and their roots."

Mr Singh added that he hoped to open it up to all Sikhs in the Preston area. He said: "There are around 300 Sikh families in Preston and hopefully we'll be able to offer facilities as well as other temples in the area.

"We want to serve the direct community and also the wider area."

He added that students from the University of Central Lancashire often visit the temple and have meals with existing members.

He said he hoped that by increasing the size of the building and its facilities it would become a permanent place for them to come and visit.

"It's exciting,"said Mr Singh. "It's all about providing more for the growing number of Sikhs in Preston and hopefully people will use it."