Piccadilly Circus: Rooftop bar plans given go-ahead

Plans for four new venues located at the central London landmark have been approved

Plans for a rooftop bar at one of central London's most famous landmarks have been given the go-ahead.

LS1 Sherwood Street Ltd was granted permission to build the venue at Piccadilly Circus by Westminster City Council.

It will be one of three new venues set to be located across several floors of the same building.

The Metropolitan Police had opposed the plans, arguing it would lead to more crime and disorder.

Applications for the four new premises were approved by the council on Friday.

'A destination'

Alongside the rooftop bar will be a pub, sports bar and three-floor bar/restaurant called the Devonshire Arms.

They will be built along Shaftesbury Avenue, one of the main roads running through Piccadilly Circus, with the rooftop bar sat atop the location's famous illuminating advertising display.

Addressing Westminster's planning committee on behalf of LS1 Sherwood Street Ltd last week, Alun Thomas said the project would make Piccadilly Circus a "destination rather than a thoroughfare".

Their application claimed "reinvention like this is not just desirable - it is necessary" to ensure Westminster remains a cultural "epicentre".

The rooftop bar will be on top of the building hosting the famous illuminated billboards

The plans were passed despite opposition from the Met and some residents who argued the added venues would create too much noise and disruption.

PC Dave Morgan told last week's committee that the area was "already saturated" with licensed premises.

Consequently, the license has been granted with numerous stipulations, including strict capacity rules and disallowing waste collections and deliveries overnight.

Once opened, the venue will be open from 09:00 every day, closing at 23:30 Monday to Thursday, midnight on Friday and Saturday, and 22:30 on Sundays.

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