Concept designs for hotel-led development on BT Tower site unveiled

Early designs for the transformation of London’s iconic BT Tower into a hotel with a new public square have been revealed.

Opened in 1965 by then Prime Minister Harold Wilson, the 177-metre tower in Fitzrovia served as a major telecommunications hub for decades.

After purchasing the site for £275mn in 2024, US hospitality giant MCR Hotels has begun consulting the public on its early plans to revamp the Grade II listed building into a “vibrant hotel that celebrates the landmark’s place in history”.

MCR plans to submit a full application to Camden Council in September. The “heritage sensitive” redevelopment, led by Orms Architects, will include a restoration of the tower while granting public access to the site for the first time in nearly half a century, the company said.

The designs feature a publicly accessible square beside the hotel’s reception along with spaces for retail and food outlets, plus pedestrian walkways allowing visitors to stand at the tower’s base for the “first time ever”.

Above the square, the restored “podium” building will house hotel bedrooms and a rooftop swimming pool, and hotel rooms will be built inside the tower’s shaft itself, known as “The Stick”.

Proposals also include removing “unsightly” additions to the structure to reveal the original façade of the podium built in 1966 to “restore the building’s true character”.

Formerly the Post Office Tower, the BT Tower has been almost entirely off-limits to the general public for decades. Once home to a rotating restaurant and viewing area, “Top of the Tower”, a bombing attack in 1971 led to security restrictions that limited access. From 1981, the building was no longer open for routine public visits.

Though there are no plans for a new eatery, the developer proposes to restore the observation deck to offer the public “spectacular, 360-degree, panoramic views of London that it has been missing for nearly 50 years”.

The designs, which will preserve the original concrete structure, have already won the support of Historic England, whose regional director, Tom Foxall, said the organisation was “delighted” by MCR’s “thoughtful approach”.

“The emerging scheme will reinforce the significance of [the tower’s] extraordinary architecture, ensuring its iconic presence remains on the London skyline while also reconfiguring its internal spaces in ways that will bring both public enjoyment and economic growth,” Foxall said.

The developer has assured that the project will carefully position new elements to the building to avoid the impact to surrounding areas of “heritage significance”, such as the Fitzroy Square Conservation Area.

MCR adds that an influx of hotel visitors will also bring in more money to Fitzrovia and Camden as the scheme will boost career growth for local residents and creates new full-time, part-time and construction jobs.

Should the plans gain approval from the council, construction would not commence until late 2029, with completion anticipated in 2033.

The plans were unveiled during public exhibitions held at University College London from May 11-16, and are available to view in full on MCR’s website (very large pdf file). The feedback deadline for the first round of consultation is Tuesday 26 May. Residents can comment on the BT Tower Hotel Project using a virtual form.

However, the plans as revealed in the exhibition are only outline and conceptual with more detail to be shown later in the year.

No housing has been included in the design despite Camden’s Local Plan having a policy to include new self-contained homes — including affordable homes — on developments where there is a significant increase in commercial floorspace.

Any increase in commercial activity on the site will put pressure on surrounding streets which were originally laid out in the mid-18th century.

Community groups in Fitzrovia will be looking carefully at the plans as revealed but will be seeking to examine the detail of the proposals ahead of a decision by Camden Council to ensure that public benefit is maximised.

View the outline designs and submit comments on the BT Tower Hotel Project page.

Additional reporting by Linus Rees.

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