The Government today stepped into the row over the future of an under-threat London museum dedicated to one of India’s founding fathers.
Communities and Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick said ministers will decide the fate of the Dr Ambedkar Museum, following mounting pressure to intervene.
The four-storey mid-terrace house in Primrose Hill was home to Indian politician Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar while he was a student at the London School of Economics, from 1916 to 1922.
The Indian high commission bought the house for the state of Maharashtra four years ago. It has since been turned into a memorial to Dr Ambedkar’s life, housing a library of his writing.
But neighbours complained about the number of visitors and Camden council denied a retrospective application to convert it into a museum last year.
Now the council has said Ambedkar House must close. The state government has commissioned a London law firm to fight its corner. A public inquiry will be held next Tuesday before the planning inspector makes a decision.
Businessman Rami Ranger asked the Government to intervene, writing in today’s Standard: “Its closure would indeed send a very regrettable message to the British Indian community.”
Mr Jenrick said the Government will decide the case based on a recommendation from the planning inspector.
He added:“Given the exceptional importance of Dr Ambedkar in the story of the creation of modern India, and the lasting contribution of the British-Indian community on the shared cultural heritage of our country, I have decided to recover the appeal for determination by central government.”
