Former London and Westminster Bank on High Holborn approved as a 75-room hotel

Anyone who has walked along High Holborn may know the former London and Westminster Bank at numbers 212-214, a Grade II-listed building from the 1850s with Venetian-influenced looks. It has stood empty for some time, and Camden Council's planning committee has now granted permission and listed building consent to turn it into a 75-key boutique hotel for ZH London Properties, designed by Studio Moren.

The detail worth noticing is the circular banking hall, which keeps its form and becomes the hotel's social heart, with a restaurant, bar, lounge and coworking space open to the public. The old bank manager's office is to become a luxury suite, and the stone balustrades and fluted metal roof will be conserved. At the back, the existing extension will make way for a new nine-storey addition intended to add rooms without overwhelming the listed front. The developer's director, Mehmet Nezir Korkut, called the approval a milestone for a building left vacant "for too long".

The project aims for EPC A and BREEAM Excellent, using heat pumps, solar panels, green and blue roofs and reuse of the existing structure. This is a planning decision reported from a press announcement, with no opening date given and nothing to book yet. One to keep an eye on if you like old banking halls given a second life.

Our summary of a story from Boutique Hotel News, published 5 November 2026. Read the original

Photos: Boutique Hotel News