Telephone Exchange 60 Cleveland Street London Borough Of Camden London W1T 4JZ Data via plota.co.uk

26/06125/OBS - Application for obs to adj boroughs Pending

Proposal

Refurbishment including external alterations to the BT Tower; partial demolition, remodelling and extension of the Base (Podium, Howland Building and base of the tower). Change of use of the existing telecommunications buildings (Sui Generis) to a hotel (Use Class C1) with flexible retail/restaurant/ food and beverage uses (Class E), bar (Sui Generis), exhibition/events/ entertainment space (Sui Generis) at basement, lower ground and ground floor levels; flexible hotel (Class C1) / exhibition/ events/ entertainment space (Sui Generis) at Levels 1-4; and a top of the Tower visitor/events/entertainment experience (Sui Generis). Creation of new external square; terraces; and swimming pool at Level 6. Public realm, landscaping, cycle parking, waste storage and associated works. Data via plota.co.uk

View original council record ↗Last checked

Application progress

Received
8 Sept 2026
Decision
Expected by 29 Sept 2026

This application is under consideration - no decision has been issued yet. Plota predicts a decision around 3 Nov 2026, from Westminster's recent changes of use.

Site constraints 4

2 Article 4 directions
Basements · Commercial, Business, and Service (Use Class E) to residential (Use Class C3) (in CAZ). Named permitted development rights are withdrawn here.
An Article 4 direction withdraws particular permitted development rights, so work that would normally need no application needs one here. Not every council has published its directions.
Air quality management area: Camden AQMA
The council has declared the area as failing an air quality objective.
Schemes that add traffic, parking or combustion plant are assessed against the area's action plan and may need an air quality assessment.
Council record ↗
Central activities zone
The core of central London in the London Plan.
Offices, culture and the other strategic functions of the centre take priority over new housing here.
Also on the record
Inside the Camden built-up area.
Not affected
Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · Not green belt · No scheduled monument at the site

Checked on 11 September 2026. Historic England, the Environment Agency, Natural England and council datasets, Open Government Licence. A boundary can run through a site and the council holds the definitive record: confirm with the council before relying on this.

Work with planning data?

Every application in Westminster - and every UK council - as a live feed, an API, or a bulk CSV export.

About Plota's data service

Important details

Application type
Application for obs to adj boroughs
Postcode
W1T 4JZ
Received
8 Sept 2026
Validated
8 Sept 2026
Ward
Obs For Adj Boroughs
Case officer
Show
Target decision
29 Sept 2026
Applicant
Show
Agent
Planning Assistant

Decision outlook

Day 6 of the 56-day target. Westminster usually decides changes of use by day 56.

Day 650 days to the 56-day target
56%decided within 8 weeks
83%approved
95decided in the last year

Plota live figures for changes of use decided by Westminster in the last twelve months, from validation. Westminster decision record →

Public comments

No public comments yet.

Last counted 9 Sept 2026

Read the comments on the council site ↗

Consultation & key dates

Env. assessment
No
Westminster
Planning Authority Score
3.5/10
Below average
#221 of 296 councils
Relevant to this application:
Change of use

Westminster is slower than most councils at deciding householder applications, ranking #258 out of 296. Only 28% of applications have the time limit extended, well below the 41% national average - the council usually decides on time. Westminster is also one of the strictest councils - it refuses more householder applications than almost any other, with only 81% approved vs 90% nationally.

One of the strictest councils
only 81% approved vs 90% nationally
These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance
Westminster decision statistics
Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026
86%
Overall approval rate
Below avg (87%) #201 of 296
81%
Householder approved
Below avg (90%) #277 of 296
44%
Decided in 8 weeks
Below avg (63%) #258 of 296
28%
Extended time limit
Below avg (41%) #46 of 296
83%
Minor dwellings approved
12 decided (1-9 homes)
67%
Major dwellings approved
3 decided (10+ homes)
81%
Change of use approved
133 decided
4,602
Total decisions
648 refused in the year to March 2026