The Qatari royal family’s property company has been given the green light to convert the former US embassy in London’s Grosvenor Square into a luxury hotel.
Earlier this week, Westminster council gave approval to Qatari Diar to redevelop the Grade II-listed building into a nine-floor, 137-room hotel alongside restaurants, shops and bars.
David Chipperfield Architects has been employed on the project and it is expected to start following the embassy’s move to the Nine Elms regeneration project in south London.
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The US state department had originally agreed to sell the building to Qatari Diar in 2009 to fund the new embassy, which was due to finish late 2016. However, owing to construction delays on the project, it is now expected to finish in 2017.
Speaking about some of the plans for the conversion, the architect said: “The west side of the building will reopen the street, further reintegrating the site to its Mayfair surroundings. A vertically extended storey with a pavilion above will form a new crown for the building, and the landmark gilded eagle will remain on the facade.”
Qatari Diar UK chairman Sheikh Jassim Al Thani said: “A hotel of this calibre perfectly aligns with the vision and ambitions for the neighbourhood and will help to ensure Mayfair retains its pre-eminent reputation as an outstanding place to live, visit and work.
“Qatari Diar takes its responsibility to the local community extremely seriously and we will continue to engage with all stakeholders and interested parties moving forward. We plan to begin work on site once the US Embassy moves to its new home at Nine Elms.”
