The Exhibition Road entrance to South Kensington Tube station could get a £2 million makeover so it can be used by a group of Orthodox Jews whose strict religious beliefs do not allow them to enter because it is part of the Science Museum, which holds human remains in its collection.
Members of Kensington and Chelsea’s planning committee will meet to consider a plan that will allow members of the 1,500 Kohanim families in London to use the station and Tube when it is lodged next month.
It was originally intended to be discussed this week but was pulled at the last minute.
The evidence originally sent to the committee by a planning agent on behalf of the Stamford Hill-based Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations explained the Kohanim — descendants of the sons of Aaron who served as priests in the temple in Jerusalem — have “special rules and guidelines on how to behave”. He said: “One of them is not to come in any shape or form in contact with a deceased (exceptions are made for immediate family), even not being under one roof.”
The current entrance means “the whole Underground line that runs past or connects to that entrance is prohibited for them to use”. He added that “by providing an outside archway it breaks up the one-roof phenomenon and it will allow those deprived from using the Underground to be able to use it.”
Council officials recommended the plan be approved when it was first lodged. But the changes to the entrance, between the museum and Imperial College London, were objected to by the college and the wider Exhibition Road Cultural Group whose members include nearby museums such as the V&A, the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum.
The group said the entrance was “used by millions of people visiting the museums, Royal Albert Hall, educational institutions, and by people living and working in the area” and said more information was needed about the plan.
They said: “The drawings on the application do not give details to understand the impact of the proposed installation on the visibility of the station entrance, the flow of pedestrians and the overall design of this heavily used area.
“It is not clear from the drawings whether the proposal is to include a religious message on the installation. Exhibition Road is a high-profile and complex public space, with multiple users and a holistic approach is necessary to consider permanent changes there.”
