Hotel vision for grade I-listed HMRC base will be decided after planning inquiry
Squire & Partners’ proposals to convert the capital’s grade I-listed Custom House into a 200-room hotel have been formally rejected by the City of London ahead of a planning inquiry that is due to kick off in January.
Members of the City of London’s Planning and Transportation Committee this week voted unanimously to refuse the application, drawn up for Cannon Capital Developments and Globalgem Hotels.
Officers opposed the scheme on the grounds that Squires’ proposals did not represent a high enough standard of design for the large neo-classical building, which has served as a base for HM Revenue & Customs and its predecessor bodies for 200 years.
They voiced particular concerns about the scheme’s proposed roof extensions, which they said would not be “sympathetic and contextual” to the character of the early 19th-century structure, designed by David Laing and Robert Smirke.
Officers acknowledged that the public museum proposed under the plans would be an asset to the capital, but they noted that it would be located in part of the building separated from the River Thames and Custom House’s quayside. Under the proposals, public access to the building’s historic barrel-vaulted Long Room would be limited to monthly tours.
规划官员表示，这两项提议都不能满足伦敦金融城改善公众参观遗产的愿望。其他的担忧包括Squires的计划对首都的战略观点的影响，以及重新用途对海关大楼结构的损害。
Tuesday’s decision was welcomed by campaign group Save Britain’s Heritage. Executive president Marcus Binney said the clear message from the City was that proposals for the future of the building needed to be more inclusive for the general public.
“The Custom House occupies a prime site on the Thames with a magnificent river terrace, away from traffic,” he said.
“This terrace, once open to the public, must now become a public space in perpetuity.”
在Cannon Capital Developments和Globalgem Hotels就伦敦金融城未能在法定时限内确定其申请提出上诉后，Squires的提议将在公开调查后由规划检查员决定。上诉聆讯定于1月25日开始。
In addition to Save Britain’s Heritage, the Custom House plans drew strong objections from the Georgian Group, London and Middlesex Archaeological Society, the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, and the Ancient Monuments Society.
政府遗产顾问英格兰历史协会(Historic England)没有反对这些提议，但表示，这些计划将对现有建筑造成“较低程度的损害”，伦敦金融城需要确定公共利益是否大于损害。
Nevertheless, the organisation encouraged planners to ensure “fully inclusive public access” to the site was guaranteed as part of any consent.
Construction of the current Custom House began in 1817 and was completed in 1819, with part of the river frontage rebuilt in 1825.
Historic England said the structure was the “fourth or fifth” custom house built on or near the site since the 14thcentury.
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