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

The heritage-led plans involve retaining the Grade II listed police station building fronting Snow Hill with the hotel bedrooms designed around a new atrium and remodelled the building to the rear.

The 6,369 sqm high-quality hotel is targeting a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating and will contain 219 bedrooms.

The scheme 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 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, commented: “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, added: “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.”

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.

City of London meeting 21.09.2021.
Planning application ref. no. 20/00932/FULMAJ.