The US Embassy in Mayfair, W1 is to be developed into a luxury hotel as part of a £1bn plan to restore Grosvenor Square.
With the embassy planning to move to its new site at Nine Elms, SW8, a public consultation will begin on 11 April for a new mixed-use development at its current site at 30 Grosvenor Square, W1.
Gerald Eve is advising owner Qatari Diar on the project alongside British architect Sir David Chipperfield.
The application, to be submitted to Westminster Council in May, includes plans for a five-star hotel with 137 guest rooms, five restaurants, six shops, a spa and a 1,000-person ballroom.
The updated design retains the building’s external façade in a nod to its architect Eero Saarinen.
The plans also includes public realm improvements to open up the building and the square and bring down the existing security bollards and barricades.
Working in partnership with the Grosvenor Estate, this plan is part of a scheme to restore the square as an “expansive green space for residents and visitors to enjoy”.
Jerry Holmes, chief development officer for Qatari Diar, said: “This proposal is a major opportunity for Grosvenor Square, Mayfair and for London, and it’s important for everyone to have their say. All local residents are encouraged to attend the public exhibition or arrange a private viewing to discuss the plans with the project team during the consultation period.”
The departure of the US government from the site marks the end of a 200-year association with Grosvenor Square dating back to 1785 with first envoy John Adams’ mission.
Matthew Barzun, US ambassador to the UK, added: “Grosvenor Square will write a new chapter of its own, one that I hope retains an imprint of America’s deep and abiding history here.”
The public exhibition will run until 16 April at 24 Grosvenor Hill.
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