The Boris Johnson government has allowed the government of Maharashtra to continue to use a property in north-west London as a museum in memory of B R Ambedkar, who lived there while studying at the London School of Economics in the 1920s.
The house, 10 King Henry’s Road in Camden, was bought by the Maharashtra government in September 2015 for £3.1 million and inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November 2015. Its use as a museum was later denied by the Camden council.
Robert Jenrick, secretary of state for Housing, Communities and Local Government, said: “I was pleased to grant planning permission for a museum in London to Dr Ambedkar – one of the founding fathers of modern India and an important figure to many British-Indians”.
The decision came following a public inquiry on September 24 and October 11 last, when lawyers for the Maharashtra government argued in favour of continuing to use the property as a museum to Ambedkar.
The museum includes a statue, photo exhibition depicting his life and his books. It is managed by the Indian high commission on behalf of the Maharashtra government, and regularly attracts visitors from India and elsewhere.
A blue plaque placed by English Heritage outside the house mentions Ambedkar living there while studying at the LSE. He first visited LSE in 1916, returned in 1921 and submitted his doctoral thesis titled ‘The Problem of the Rupee’ in March 1923.
