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![\"230-bed](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Untitled-design-1-e1749297433790.png\" "\\"230-bed")
<\/p>\nA Central London council has approved plans for a 230-bed \u2018windowless\u2019 hostel\u00a0above a famous independent theatre.<\/p>\n
Westminster City councillors unanimously backed redeveloping the four storeys above Prince Charles Cinema off Leicester Square during a Planning Committee meeting on Tuesday, September 2.<\/p>\n
Supporters of Criterion Capital\u2019s application said the hostel would bring \u201chigh quality and reasonably priced\u201d accommodation to the area, added security with 24\/7 CCTV, and attract more cinema-goers.<\/p>\n
One supporter said: \u201cWith a steady flow of cultural tourists and creatives, the hostel will provide essential support to nearby businesses, including the cinema itself.\u201d<\/p>\n
They also said construction works would not disrupt the cinema\u2019s operation. A representative for the Soho Society, an amenity group, said Leicester Square would lose important office space.<\/p>\n
They said the area was primed with companies linked to the creative and entertainment industry. They also questioned whether the building being vacant for 17 months was a reasonable excuse to see it redeveloped into accommodation.<\/p>\n
They said: \u201cWe don\u2019t feel that duration alone is the test. Quality and relevance to likely occupiers also is and in a location where small floor plays do casting and post-production, and independence, we should not lose scarce space which underpin the film and screen clusters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Supporters and council officers said though the vacant office space did receive interest, issues around accessibility and its location in a tourist-heavy spot made it ultimately unattractive to prospective tenants.<\/p>\n
The Prince Charles Cinema, which is located at basement and ground level, will not be impacted by the proposal, the council said.<\/p>\n
The hostel will be made up of as many as 230 beds placed separated by \u201cindividual privacy capsules\u201d which have been described as an indoor one-person tent. This is a change to the traditional hostel where the beds are open, according to the applicant\u2019s architect Boyle & Summers.<\/p>\n
It is also understood there will be little to no windows in the accommodation. The hostel will be made up of unisex washing and toilet facilities and \u201c1 and 2-tier sleeping capsules\u201d. The hostel will not sell any food or beverages.<\/p>\n
Criterion Capital, which owns Charles House at 7 Leicester Place, promised to \u201crepurpose and revitalise\u201d the four floors above the theatre.<\/p>\n
It also proposed linking the hostel to the Victory House Hotel located two doors down. The hostel will be serviced through the hotel\u2019s delivery hub. Criterion owns both buildings.<\/p>\n
Construction work will be restricted to the morning so that afternoon viewings in the cinema can continue undisturbed.<\/p>\n
It comes after a similar application was refused in June 2023. At the time, planning permission was refused on land use, amenity and highways grounds.<\/p>\n
This included \u201cinsufficient\u201d information to justify the loss of office floorspace and a lack of cycle parking spots. It also included fears over antisocial behaviour as visitors congregated on the pavement outside the property due to a lack of internal communal space.<\/p>\n
Westminster City Council officers said these issues have been rectified with the new proposal.<\/p>\n
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