Go Ahead for Boutique Hotel Plan for Fulham Town Hall
Restaurant to open at ground floor and concert hall to become co-working space
Artist's impression of Fulham Town Hall converted into a new hotel. Picture: Ziser London
Plans to turn Fulham Town Hall into a 90-room “boutique” hotel and events venue have been given the green light by councillors.
Exterior and interior features of the “ornate” grade II*-listed landmark, opposite Fulham Broadway Station, will largely be preserved.
But blueprints show that the first-floor committee rooms and concert hall will become a co-working office space, and a public restaurant will face Fulham Road on the ground floor.
Its old debating chamber will continue to be used for events such as weddings.
The Town Hall, built in 1890 in a Georgian style, was last used for council administrative purposes in 1965, when Hammersmith and Fulham councils merged into one.
Artist's impression of Fulham Town Hall co-working space. Picture: Ziser London
It continued to be used as a registry office until it was sold by the council in 2014 for £10 million, when it was said to be “dilapidated and water damaged”.
The developer, Ziser London, has also signed a 20-year lease for hotelier Lamington to run it.
Ziser’s planning application was approved on July 7 by a unanimous vote by Labour and Conservative councillors on the council’s planning committee.
Artist's impression of Fulham Town Hall bar. Picture: Ziser London
Despite being largely in favour of the plans, one councillor, Wesley Harcourt, asked: “What exactly is a ‘boutique’ hotel? Is it something to do with room size, because some of the rooms are quite small.”
A planning officer replied, “It’s a style of hotel. It’s more individual rather than a chain of hotels… a boutique hotel is usually much more specialised with a smaller number of rooms.”
Councillor Matt Uberoi, of Sands End ward, said that although he “welcomed” the planning application he was “saddened that it’s before us today.”
Referring to the then Tory-run council’s decision to sell the Town Hall, Mr Uberoi said: “We’re in a different administration now but I don’t feel the building should ever have been sold.”
Included in the application was a plan to extend four storeys of the building into the rear car park, and to have a one-story roof extension which will be stepped so that it is not visible from Fulham Road.
Owen Sheppard - Local Democracy Reporter
July 8, 2020