New plans have been submitted for the refurbishment of Custom House after years of hold-ups.
The proposals include a 179-bed hotel, spa and restaurant offering, alongside a public access scheme.
The Grade I building, on Lower Thames Street in the City of London, was the home of customs and trade for more than 200 years until HMRC vacated the building in 2021.
The Planning Inspectorate refused previous plans to turn Custom House into a hotel after a public inquiry in 2022.
City of London planning officers agreed at the time the plans “would not be acceptable” as they “would not ensure the continued beneficial use for a historic building”.
Despite SAVE Britain’s Heritage and The Georgian Group’s subsequent effort to turn the site into a full public-access area, the building was bought by Jastar Capital in 2023 through its subsidiary, Custom House City Ltd.
According to Jastar, the building’s new owners plan to build a new public ground-floor route through the former King’s Warehouse, a series of galleries and an exhibition space in the West Wing, and a curated historical library within the former Tide Waiter’s Room.
The car-free scheme includes a redeveloped public quayside, unlocking a previously constrained stretch of the Thames Path.
The proposed riverside redevelopment. Credit: Orms and Secchi Smith
“These plans will bring an important London heritage asset back into viable use as a landmark hotel, restoring its former grandeur and opening it up to guests and the public alike,” Gareth Fox, Partner in Montagu Evans’ – the company advising Jastar – said.
Elyse Howell-Price, associate director at architect Orms, said: “Custom House is a hugely sensitive heritage asset in one of the most significant riverside sites in The City of London.
“Orms’ approach to this project has been to undertake a deep investigation of the history and construction of this remarkable building while at the same time envisioning the potential that the revitalisation of the site could achieve by improving the experience of the riverside for all Londoners.”