Plans to turn London's Custom House into 179-room hotel approved

Plans to convert London’s Custom House into a hotel and leisure destination have been approved.

The design will see the Grade I-listed building transformed into a 179-room hotel with a spa, health centre, and several restaurants.

 

Areas of the wider site will also be opened to the public for the first time, with a car park transformed into a riverside space the size of 12 tennis courts that will be open 365 days a year.

 

The plans have been submitted by Custom House City, a subsidiary of Jastar Capital which owns the Elvetham hotel in Hartley Wintney, Hampshire and London’s Native Bankside aparthotel.

 

Custom House is neighboured on the waterfront by Sugar Quay to the east and Old Billingsgate Market to the west.

 

The plans, which were unanimously approved by the City of London Corporation’s Planning Applications Sub-Committee, will bring the building back into use after it was vacated by HM Revenue and Customs in 2021 after more than 200 years.

 

Tom Sleigh, chairman of the City of London Corporation Planning and Transportation Committee, said: “Custom House has stood on the Thames for centuries, but for too long, it has been closed to the public. These plans will not only give the building a new lease of life, but will open its doors, as well as the riverfront, to Londoners and visitors alike.

 

“Turning the car park into 12 tennis courts worth of riverside public space is the kind of change that makes the city feel alive. The project is a shining example of how the City can honour its history while creating new spaces that people can enjoy every day.”

 

Previous plans to turn Custom House into a hotel were refused by in July 2022 after planning inspectors said they would "not ensure the continued beneficial use for a historic building".

 

The building was bought by Jastar Capital through Custom House City in 2023.