To whom it may concern
Subject: 10, King Henry’s Road, Primrose Hill, London NW3 3RP
I wish to extend my thanks to the secretary of State Mr Robert Jenrick Member of Parliament for his intervention to grant the change of use of 10 King Henry’s Road to a Museum.
Thanks also go to the Government of Maharashtra for following through the appeal to its logical conclusion and also thank many other interested parties involved in the appeal.
It is important to acknowledge that the announcement made by the Secretary of State on 12 March 2020 not only quashed the original Enforcement Notice but also granted the necessary planning permission for change of use to a Museum. We wish to thank him for doing the right thing in recognition of the great son of India Dr Ambedkar and for recognising the significance of 10 King Henry’s Road and the spiritual connection the place holds for people of all nations.
By way of a brief background, the issue of the enforcement notice came as a big surprise to me when in early September 2019 a delegation of Ambedkar International Mission London and Ambedkar House London Forum arranged a meeting with the Indian High Commission to formalise access to 10 King Henry’s Road.
One other item for discussion at that meeting was a proposal to publish the opening times of Ambedkar House on High Commission’s website for the benefit of the general public.
This meeting was chaired by Deputy High Commissioner Shri Charanjit Singh and a number of other delegates of the Indian High Commission. It came as a huge shock to discover at this meeting there was an Enforcement Notice issued by the London Borough of Camden to prevent the change of use to a Museum.
The Deputy High Commissioner agreed to our proposal regarding the publication of the opening times on High Commission’s website but he expressed his deep concern over the Enforcement Notice issued by the London Borough of Camden and the pending appeal against it.
He requested community support to help with the appeal and said that communities must do whatever they can to strengthen the appeal. In view of all deep anxieties felt and the significance of the place, we agreed to support the appeal. Subsequently, I was able to rally the community support and on 15th September 2019, formally wrote to Her Excellency the High Commissioner of India, Shrimati Ruchi Ghanashyam, offering our support.
On the same date, an appeal letter was also written to the Planning Inspectorate at Camden Council.
A letter was also written to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government The Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP requesting his intervention
An appeal was also sent to Minister of State (Minister for the Commonwealth, the UN and South Asia) requesting his intervention.
When the day of hearing came, on 24th September 2019, as a third party witness, I was granted permission to speak and I also submitted a written statement to the Inspector hearing the appeal on behalf of a number of organisations calling for permission to be granted highlighting the importance and significance of Dr Ambedkar and his connection with 10 King Henry’s Road :
It is important here to mention a cross section of the various organisation who actively supported the appeal process, namely,
Bhagwan Valmik Sabha Wolverhampton
- Dr Ambedkar Memorial Committee GB
- Shri Guru Ravidass Dharmik Sabha, Wolverhampton
- Shri Guru Ravidass Cultural Association, Birmingham
- Shri Guru Ravidass Sabha, London
- Sikh Federation UK
- Sikh Missionary Society UK
- Wat Mahathat, Thai Temple
- Shri Guru Ravidass Mission International
A number of other third party witnesses also spoke on both days of the appeal, including Mr Shekhar Bodhkar of Ambedkar House London Forum who spoke on the second day on 11 October with evidence connecting Dr Ambedkar with 10 King Henry’s Road.
In my opinion, there was huge administrative failing from inception of the purchase of the building as I believe it should not have got into this terrible mess about planning consent so late in the day – considering the place was bought in 2015 ! But leaving all that aside, it’s a great day of joy and a cause for celebration for all concerned. It is hoped the place will now begin to function as a museum to promote Ambedkar’s thought and his legacy.
Yours Sincerely,
Sat Pal Muman, Secretary
Shekhar Bodhakar’s report after first day of Ambedkar House inquiry:
Mr Bodhakar appealed to the UK’s Indian Diaspora to write individual letters to the Seretary of state and request him to grant the required permission.
It must be noted that Mr. Muman (AIM) and Shekhar Bodhakar (AHL Forum) were both present at the inquiry, representing communities and organizations who endorsed letters of support presented to the inspectorate on the first day of hearing and spoke in public interest.
