Luxury hotel plans approved for Custom House

"Plans for a luxury hotel on the north bank of the River Thames have been approved by the City of London Corporation. Custom House, a Grade I-listed building, will be turned into a 179-room hotel, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, with the Thameside path to be redeveloped as a public space. A previous proposal was rejected in 2022, over concerns it would harm the building's heritage."

"The latest application, submitted in April, reduced the number of hotel rooms and scrapped a planned two-storey roof extension, and was approved on 9 September. A custom house - a building where government officials used to manage the import and export of goods - has existed on or near the site since the 14th century, with the current building opened in 1817."

"By contrast, the updated submission received no objections from heritage groups. Instead, it was supported by the Georgian Group and Historic England, who were both involved in planning discussions prior to the application. Historic England said: "Custom House has long been a sleeping giant of a building, its potential as a new destination for London lying untapped. "The decision to approve the proposals will enable a really exciting transformation of one of London's most impressive Georgian buildings,"

Approval has been granted to convert Custom House, a Grade I-listed building on the north bank of the Thames, into a 179-room luxury hotel with the Thameside path redeveloped as public space. The latest application, submitted in April and approved on 9 September, reduced room numbers and removed a proposed two-storey roof extension. A custom house has occupied the site since the 14th century and the current building opened in 1817; HMRC used the building until 2021. Jastar Capital bought the property in 2023 and proposed the conversion. Historic groups engaged in planning discussions and later supported the revised proposal.

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