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Plans for a £1bn hotel complex at Winston Churchill's former war rooms have been revealed

Planning permission has been submitted for a new £1bn hotel complex at The Old War Office in Whitehall which previously housed Winston Churchill’s war office during the Second World War.

Plans for the proposed 580,000 sq ft hotel, which has been masterminded by Indian owners Hinduja Group and Spanish firm OHL Desarrollos, have been submitted to Westminster Council.

Designed by London architects EPR, the proposed hotel and apartment will encompass 125 bedrooms and 88 flats, along with a ballroom, wine cellar, 25-metre swimming pool and a rooftop bar.

Built in 1906, the vast Grade II listed complex has formerly housed secretaries of state including Lloyd George and Winston Churchill, but in 2014 was sold off for £350m after being deemed surplus to requirements by the Ministry of Defence.

According to the Evening Standard, the planning documents said: “Our vision is to convert this historically important building in one of the most important conservation areas in the country, into an international landmark, mixed use luxury hotel and residential development of exceptional quality, with corresponding amenity, public access and heritage benefits.”

With over 1,000 rooms and two and a half miles of corridors any work on the site is likely to be a massive undertaking for the developers.

Graham Craggs from the hotel team at property firm at JLL estimated that work on the development will top £1bn and shows ‘continued confidence in London’ as a global destination.