Iconic UK landmark to get rooftop pool in luxury hotel transformation – opens in 2030s
The popular landmark could become unrecognisable under the plans.
London’s BT Tower is set to get a new rooftop swimming pool as part of ambitious plans to turn the Grade II-listed landmark into a luxury hotel. MCR Hotels, the US company behind the development, is expected to launch a public consultation next week on its proposals for the famous Fitzrovia skyscraper.
The plans could see hotel guests swimming 177 metres above London, with the tower’s upper levels reopened as part of one of the capital’s most striking hotel conversions. The company, which owns about 150 hotels across the US, including the TWA Hotel at JFK airport in New York, bought the tower from BT Group in 2024 for £275 million in one of the most high-profile UK adaptive reuse deals in recent years. However, the redevelopment cannot take place until BT decommissions and strips out residual sensitive telecoms equipment, a process that could continue until 2030, the Telegraph reports.
READ MORE: The incredible £2.2 bn railway project that will transform major African country
READ MORE: Fury as abandoned 220-home ghost estate in UK town becomes fire hotspot
Speaking following the acquisition, Tyler Morse, chief executive and owner of MCR Hotels, said: “We are proud to preserve this beloved building and will work to develop proposals to tell its story as an iconic hotel, opening its doors for generations to enjoy.”
The scheme also includes opening the top of the BT Tower, originally known as the Post Office Tower, to the public for the first time in more than 50 years.
Its observation decks have been closed since 1971, after a bomb exploded in the men’s toilets at one of the viewing galleries.
Nobody was injured in the blast, but the explosion caused damage to buildings and cars up to 400 metres away.
Responsibility for the attack was claimed by both the Angry Brigade, a far-Left anarchist group, and a man claiming to represent the “Kilburn Battalion” of the IRA.
The bombing also contributed to the closure of the tower’s famous revolving restaurant, Top of the Tower.
The restaurant, run by Sir Billy Butlin, of holiday camp operator Butlin’s, completed three rotations an hour and was once one of London’s most distinctive dining rooms.
It briefly reopened after the blast but shut permanently in 1980 when its lease expired.
The new hotel plans mark a major new chapter for the BT Tower, which once played a critical role in carrying television and phone signals across the UK.
The public was first allowed inside the tower in 1965, when more than 50,000 visitors passed through its viewing galleries in the first three weeks after opening.
There are fears aconstruction could impact the surrounding area, with the tower situated near small victorian streets and key transport infrastructure.
Camden council confirmed to The Fitzrovia News: “On Thursday, March 12, we presented our high-level plans to Camden council’s strategic panel,” with a planning application expected later in the year.
Public consultation events will take place on Monday, May 11, and Tuesday, May 12, from 5.30pm to 7.30pm in the Jeremy Bentham Room at University College London. A third session will be held on Saturday, May 16, from 11.30am to 1.30pm.
