Noor Inayat Khan, the Second World War spy of Indian heritage and a descendent of the 18th century Indian warrior Tipu Sultan, has been chosen by local residents in north London as the name for a new social housing complex.
The first British woman to be dropped behind enemy lines as a Special Operations Executive (SOE) officer was among three names chosen from a shortlist of iconic residents of Camden Council for its new Maitland Park Estate in Haverstock.
The Noor Inayat Khan House was unveiled at a ceremony last week alongside housing blocks named after Mary Prince – the first black woman to have an autobiography published in Britain and Antony Grey – an LGBTQ+ activist whose work led to decriminalisation of homosexuality for men.
Shrabani Basu, the British Indian author of ‘Spy Princess: The Life of Noor Inayat Khan’, said: “It is wonderful that the residents of Camden voted to name the housing block after Noor Inayat Khan. The people of Camden have truly taken Noor to heart, and she is known and loved in the borough.
““She was a Sufi, she believed in religious tolerance, she believed in non-violence and peace between nations. Today, let us take away her message for peace and harmony.”
The new housing block in the name of the war heroine killed by the Nazis at Dachau concentration camp in 1944 forms part of a local housing project to deliver more affordable homes in London.
Sir Keir Starmer, Labour Party MP for Holborn and St. Pancras in Camden, said at the unveiling: “This isn’t just about some bricks and some windows and a roof; this is about life chances, aspiration and equal opportunity for everyone.
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“When I was growing up we didn’t have a lot of money, but we did have a house. And that gave me a security to go on and do some of the things that I’ve done in my life. I want every child to have that chance.”
Each of the three new residential buildings at the Maitland Park redevelopment have been named after prominent local figures as part of Camden Council’s strategy for diversity in the public spaces.
Councillor Danny Beales, Camden Council Cabinet Member for New Homes, Jobs, and Community Investment, said: “Here in Camden we are being bold and ambitious in delivering new council homes for our residents, building as many as we can as quickly as possible. We are championing the progressive and resilient methods that are needed right now to deliver these homes in the face of the severe financial challenges that councils like ours face.
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“We have worked with the estate’s residents to transform an outdated block in chronic disrepair into larger homes that meet modern standards and lift families out of overcrowding, we have increased the number of council homes on the estate from 36 to 51 while building new community facilities, and residents have shaped the legacy of where they live by helping to choose three remarkable figures from our local community to name their new buildings after.”
*Info: Maitland Park
