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Indian government could be forced to close London museum after planning row with Camden Council

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi and the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Devendra Fadnavis, at Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar Memorial, in London on November 14, 2015
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi and the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Devendra Fadnavis, at Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar Memorial, in London on November 14, 2015

The Indian government of Maharashtra could be forced to close a London museum dedicated to one of the country’s “founding fathers” after a planning row with Camden Council.

The Primrose Hill property was converted into a memorial dedicated to Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, who died in 1956, at a cost of roughly £2 million.

Dr Ambedkar, who lived in the property between 1921 and 1922 while studying at the London School of Economics, was Independent India's first law and justice minister and is said to be the "principal architect" of India's constitution.

The memorial on King Henry's Road became particularly popular when India's prime minister Narendra Modi visited the site in 2015.

It features a recreation of Dr Ambedkar's bedroom, a photo exhibition showcasing his life and achievements, a library with a collection of Ambedkar’s writings and a life-sized statue.

However, its popularity has led to objections from neighbours.

Sue Price, who lives nearby, claimed visitors to the museum were arriving in "coach loads" to take photographs.

She said: "We are now disturbed by the noise day and night seven days a week."

Camden Council denied the retrospective application to convert the house into a museum in October 2018 on the grounds it would be "detrimental" to the amount of residential floor space provided in the borough.

Solicitor Ravindra Kumar, from the law firm Singhania & Co, which is appealing against the council's enforcement notice on behalf of the government of Maharashtra, said they were “disappointed with the notice”.

They added that the The High Commission (of India) and state had spent “a substantial amount of money” on the project.

The appeal is due to be heard at a planning inquiry on September 24 this year.