The proposed pool

THE designs show a luxurious swimming pool next to the famous BT Tower – but neighbours want to know whether they will get to take a dip.

US hotel group MCR wants to turn the Grade II-listed Fitzrovia landmark into a hotel, with a ticketed attraction at the top and an outdoor pool on the rooftop of the podium building below.

Its planning papers say that the pool will be “open to members of the public”, but people nearby have asked who will really be able to use it, and at what price.And when.

The Charlotte Street Association has told council planners it was “concerned that the discounted access to the top of the tower and the outdoor swimming pool is limited”.

The Fitzrovia West Neighbourhood Forum, meanwhile, said the developer’s plans implied “that only residents can gain tickets to the tower and swimming pool”.

Open air pools at the Oasis Leisure Centre and Parliament Hill Lido are inundated with interest in summer.

MCR has filed a public benefits strategy for Camden Council as it waits to see if the project will secure planning consent.

A spokesperson for the BT Tower Hotel Project team told Westminster Extra this week: “The rooftop pool will be open to the public, not only to hotel guests. Pricing and opening hours have not yet been set, given that the project will not open for some time.”

“Local residents will benefit from discounted access.”

“Some time” relates to a public opening date expected in 2033, although resident groups want wriggle-free agreements in writing now. Meanwhile, all Year 6 pupils in Camden and All Souls in Fitzrovia on the Westminster side of the borough boundary will be offered “top of the tower” tour tickets.