In 2022 a planning inspector dismissed an appeal for non-determination, lodged by then owner Cannon Capital Development, which would have transformed the Georgian ex-HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) office in Lower Thames Street into a 200-room hotel.Although the City of London lost its power to decide on the plans, the Squire & Partners scheme came before the Citys planning committee authority ahead of the planning inquiry and councillors voted unanimously to refuse it, due to the potential harm to the buildings heritage significance. The application had also been opposed by SAVE Britains Heritage and the Georgian Group.Throwing out the appeal in July that year, planning inspector Paul Griffiths highlighted the injurious effect the scheme would have on the plan and layout of architect David Laings original 1817 west wing.AdvertisementCustom House was then bought in 2023 by hotel business Jastar Capital through its subsidiary, Custom House City Ltd, which brought in Orms, conservation specialists Richard Griffiths Architects and planning consultants Montagu Evans to take a fresh look at the empty building near the Tower of London.Under the new conservation-led approach, the home of HMRC until 2021 which features later elements designed by British Museum architect Robert Smirke, is now set to become a 179-bed hotel with the Kings Warehouse housing a bar and restaurant and the Long Room a new event space.The team claims it has carried out extensive consultation with the City, Historic England and amenity stakeholder groups including SAVE Britains Heritage and the Georgian Group before submitting the plans.As a result the new designs do not include pavilions on the east and west wing rooftops unlike the Squire & Partners proposals preserving the historic lightwell in the west end of the building.The plans feature a new public ground-floor route through the former Kings Warehouse which, the practice claims, will be brought to life by dynamic historic displays, a series of galleries and an exhibition space. A curated historical library is planned for within the former Tide Waiters Room.AdvertisementOutside the quayside will be re-landscaped creating two new terraces on the Central Wings southern elevation which will be connected to the quayside by ramps and steps, ensuring step-free access into the building for the first time since its construction.Squire & Partners' dismissed 2022 plans (left); and ORMS' 2025 application (right)Although retaining more of the concrete structure in the east wing than the earlier designs, the proposal will remove a number of harmful modern interventions to create a car-free development.The building will also become a fossil-fuel free, all-electric scheme without the need for gas boilers.A spokesperson for the team said: Painstaking research into the history of the building has informed the new proposals, leading to interventions that include the reinstatement of window awnings in a historically faithful style to provide passive solar shading to the faade while returning a period feature of the design.Elyse Howell-Price, Associate Director and Historic Buildings Specialist at Orms, said: Custom House is a hugely sensitive heritage asset in one of the most significant riverside sites in The City of London. Orms approach to this project has been to undertake a deep investigation of the history and construction of this remarkable building while at the same time envisioning the potential that the revitalisation of the site could achieve by improving the experience of the riverside for all Londoners. Throughout the process weve enjoyed productive dialogue with the many stakeholders invested in preserving and celebrating this building by bringing it back into use. Source:: Nigel J. Harris / Shutterstock.comCustom House in the City of London (foreground)Project team ArchitectOrms Architects & DesignersConservation architectRichard Griffiths ArchitectsPlanning consultantMontagu EvansHistoric environment and townscape consultantMontagu EvansCultural strategy and landscapePublicaViabilityMontagu EvansTransportCaneparo AssociatesM&E and sustainabilityNDYStructural engineeringElliott WoodHistorical researchProfessor David SoudenArchaeologyMills Whipp & MOLAPublic engagementConcilio & PREACHPaint and materials analysisLincoln ConservationProposed section in ORMS' plans (2025)