Formal Consultation To Be Held on Havelock Road Name Change
Earlier survey shows residents evenly split on proposal
Sri Guru Singh Sabha on Havelock Road. Picture: Google Streetview
Ealing Council have begun the formal statutory consultation into a proposal to change the name of Havelock Road in Southall to Guru Nanak Road.
An earlier informal consultation showed that residents of Havelock Road were evenly split on the issue but there was a small majority in favour of the change from non-residents.
The road for which the name change is proposed mainly lies between King Street and Merrick Road. The properties in Havelock Road not on the section between King Street and Merrick Road, will remain unchanged.
From the section of Havelock Road to be re-named, out of an eligible 57 households, there were 8 returns giving a 14% response rate. Of the 8 returns 5 households (62%) supported the name change and 2 households (25%) opposed it.
From the section not being re-named, out of an eligible 288 households, there were 8 returns giving a 3% response rate. Of the 8 returns 2 households (25%) supported the name change and 5 households (62%) opposed it.
Combining the Havelock Road returns the number in favour or opposed to the change was the same.
There were 429 returns from non-residents of which 56% supported the name change and 41% opposed it.
Based on the responses from residents, Guru Nanak Road was the preferred name although non-residents showed a preference for Guru Nanak Way.
After considering the results of this survey, the council have decided to proceed to the next stage and the statutory consultation opened on Wednesday, 21 October and runs for one month, closing Saturday, 21 November, giving residents the opportunity to feedback on the proposed name change.
Guru Nanak, is the founder of Sikhism, and the council say the change would symbolise the contribution of the local Sikh community to the borough’s diversity and unity.
Havelock Road is named after General Sir Henry Havelock who died in 1857 during the Indian Rebellion. He has no association in with the slave trade and there is still a street in Lucknow, where he fought three battles, named after him. There is also a statue of him in Trafalgar Square which was placed there after money was raised through public subscription. While he was Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone suggested that his statue should be replaced by that of someone ‘more relevant’.
The road is home to Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Southall, which was established in the fifties and is the largest gurdwara outside of India according to its official website.
Council leader Julian Bell said, “The decision has been made to proceed with the statutory consultation proposing to change the name of Havelock Road, between King Street and Merrick Road, to Guru Nanak Road.
“The consultation will take in views expressed by residents and businesses that are directly impacted by a potential change, as well as our essential services such as the Fire Brigade and the Royal Mail and considerations from the wider community in response to the consultation.”
Owners of properties or businesses in this road are advised to respond to the official consultation letter as early as possible.
The council says the final decision is not a ballot and will take into the consideration the current Street Naming Protocol which ensures that any proposed change should ‘respect and balance cultural and historical identities, sensitivities, and heritage’.
All objections need to be submitted to email or postal address below on or before Saturday, 21 November 2020 to ensure they are taken into consideration.
You can email the consultation team: havelockroad@ealing.gov.uk or post your response to: London Borough of Ealing, Ref: Havelock Road consultation, Perceval House, 14-16 Uxbridge Road, Ealing, London, W5 2HL
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October 28, 2020