A row has broken out over plans to turn offices used by Winston Churchill during the Second World War into a billion dollar hotel complex.
The Old War Office building (pictured) was opened in 1906 and is the vast former headquarters of the British Empire’s military. Churchill masterminded many of Britain’s successes over the Nazis from the building, whose architectural and historical importance mean it is officially listed as Grade II*.
It has 1,100 rooms and about two miles of corridors and sits in Whitehall, near the British parliament.
It was sold by the British state to the Hinduja Group, in partnership with Spanish group Obrascon Huarte Lain Desarrollos, for £350 million (about $440 million) in 2014 to cut costs.
The new owners have applied to add a double-height basement and three floors on top of the 580,000 sq ft property. They also want to add restaurants, boutique shops, bars, a spa, a gym and a 25m pool alongside 88 apartments.
But dozens of official objections have been submitted to Westminster council raising a variety of concerns.
One resident said: “This building is a masterpiece of Edwardian architecture and a monument of significance in British history. Its external features should not be modified. It would be a scandal.”
Another said: “The concept of mutilating it for commercial gain by adding floors and removing features such as bottle balustrades is unacceptable.”
A third said the view from St James’s Park towards the building was “one of the most beautiful in London”. He said: “This is one of the most selected filming locations. Adding floors will destroy the vista for ever.”
Despite these objections, the developers are said to be confident their plans will be allowed. Over the last decade, several similarly important buildings in central London including Admiralty Arch have been sold off to be turned into hotels and apartments.