The City of London Corporation has today (21 September) approved plans to transform the former Snow Hill Police Station into a ‘hub by Premier Inn’ hotel.

The Planning and Transportation Committee unanimously voted to approve the plans to convert and extend the existing building on Snow Hill in Farringdon. The heritage-led plans involve retaining the historic police station building fronting Snow Hill with the hotel bedrooms designed around a new atrium and remodelled building to the rear.

The development, which is targeting a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating, will provide 6,369 sqm of high-quality hotel floorspace (consisting of 219 bedrooms) in the Culture Mile.

The scheme will also include a curated cultural offering to celebrate the history of the site and will incorporate a permanent exhibition with narratives of the local and surrounding area such as St Sepulchre Church, the Old Bailey, the former Newgate Prison and the ghost of Cock Lane. The cultural offer will be free of charge and publicly accessible between 10.30am – 7pm.

The development promotes active transport with a provision of cycle parking internally, compliant with the London Plan, and additional short stay cycle parking externally, proposed on Snow Hill.

The new hotel includes a number of further sustainability benefits, required by the City Corporation’s Climate Action Strategy, including air source heat pumps, solar panels and a biodiverse green roof.

Chair of the Planning and Transportation Committee at the City of London Corporation, Alastair Moss, said:

“Boosting the provision of much-needed overnight accommodation in the heart of the Square Mile supports the draft City Plan 2036 and is key in realising our vision for a world-leading 24/7 destination.

“Culture Mile is undergoing vast transformation and this development will play it’s part in the look and feel of the initiative with the unique cultural offering reflecting on the unique history of this site.”

Acquisitions Manager for Central London at Whitbread, Jonathan Langdon, said:

“Farringdon is one of the most vibrant locations in London given its proximity to the City and many of London’s most historic and cultural landmarks. It’s a prime location for both business and leisure travellers and with the arrival of Crossrail, as well as the creative buzz around the Culture Mile initiative, the demand for hotel rooms in Farringdon is set to increase further.

“As a team, this is the culmination of 18 months of hard work in unprecedented times and we put our heart and soul into the plans to sensitively convert the former Snow Hill Police Station into a 219-bedroom hub by Premier Inn. With the City having backed the plans we will move quickly into detailed design and aim to be on-site converting the Listed building as soon as possible.”

Snow Hill Police Station was declared surplus to operational requirements by the City of London Police and sold to the hotel owner and operator Whitbread PLC in January last year.

The City of London Corporation recently approved ambitious plans for a new flagship combined courts facility and state-of-the-art headquarters for the City of London Police at Fleet Street to better serve the needs of a modern, busy Square Mile.

On opening, the Snow Hill hub by Premier Inn will be Whitbread’s third hub hotel in the City and is targeted to open in the 2023/24 financial year.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

About the City of London Corporation
The City of London Corporation is the governing body of the Square Mile dedicated to a vibrant and thriving City, supporting a diverse and sustainable London within a globally-successful UK. www.cityoflondon.gov.uk

About Whitbread
Whitbread PLC is the owner of the UK’s favourite hotel chain, Premier Inn with over 800 hotels comprising over 78,000 rooms and restaurant brands including Beefeater, Brewers Fayre, Table Table, Bar + Block, Whitbread Inns and Cookhouse + Pub.

Outside of the UK, Whitbread’s expansion plans are focused on Germany and Ireland. Whitbread has an open and committed pipeline of more than 13,000 hotel rooms, with a line of sight to around 60,000 rooms, as it works to grow Premier Inn into the number one budget hotel operator in the country.

Whitbread’s sustainability strategy, ‘Force for Good’, is focused on helping the company’s customers, team members and suppliers to live and work well. The strategy is grouped into three key pillars of Opportunity, Community and Responsibility with long-term strategic commitments set for each. Click here for more information on the Force for Good strategy and how we measure and report against our objectives.

For more information, contact:

Shani Annand-Baron
Media Officer, City of London Corporation
shani.annand-baron@cityoflondon.gov.uk or 07710 860885

James Anderson
Property Communications Manager, Whitbread
james.anderson@whitbread.com or 07850 944798