An application to the London Borough of Camden for planning permission to convert the Saville Theatre into a hotel has been finally rejected following a public inquiry.
The theatre on London’s Shaftesbury Avenue opened in the 1930s and is currently owned by Odeon and used as a cinema.
The Theatres Trust objected to permission being granted on the grounds that there is “demand for additional large-scale theatre space within the West End for which the site provided the last realistic opportunity to deliver due to its size, internal volume, access and that it was in existing cultural use.”
Their national planning adviser Tom Clarke believes there is potential for live performance use to return to the venue one day.
He said: "We believe the Inspector's decision not only protects this building as a heritage asset and emphasises the need to fully justify loss of cultural provision but also recognises how cultural and performance use of the site contributes to wider strategic objectives such as maintaining the vitality of Theatreland and the West End."