The concerns forced Leconfield bosses to strip back their plans and Westminster council signed off the venture this week after months of wrangling.
Liz Truss is promoting the Leconfield, a Mayfair private members’ club for ‘pro-growth leaders’
Westminster Council
Compromises included reducing the hours alcohol will be sold and the number of people who could use the roof terrace at one time and the installation of a noise limiting device.
Ms Truss and financier Mr Tchenguiz teamed up to launch the ultra-exclusive club in Curzon Street, described as “a strategic nexus for a global network of pro-growth leaders”.
Members will have access to “the largest boardroom in Mayfair” and “acoustically sealed pods and workstations” over six floors.
But it was the planned luxury bars and restaurants on the ground floor, events space in the basement and Japanese-themed roof terrace that concerned the building’s wealthy neighbours who worried about late night disorder.
They had called on the town hall to reject the plans.
The management company representing the residents of Chesterfield House, the mansion block directly adjacent to Leconfield House, said: “We strongly object to this proposal on behalf of Chesterfield House management and several hundreds of residents on the grounds of the noise and disturbance that would be caused.”
Members will have access to ‘the largest boardroom in Mayfair’
Westminster Council
A resident added: “This proposal is contrary to the neighbourhood plan of ‘protecting residential amenity across Mayfair from the negative impacts of new commercial or entertainment uses’.
“Mayfair village would greatly suffer from this proposal, which would generate noise and relative chaos to a peaceful area.”
Others raised fears the building was set to become a “nightclub” masquerading as an office.
The Leconfield management argued that late serving hours are needed for “international” clientele and were comparable to similar establishments, such as Maslow’s in Fitzrovia and The Conduit Club in Covent Garden.
Representatives of the Leconfield told Westminster council’s licensing committee in April that the application was “relatively low risk in terms of public nuisance”.
The planned luxury bars and restaurants concerned the building’s wealthy neighbours
Westminster Council
“The hours for the restaurants reflect the demand for working, travelling and networking late amongst ‘C-suite’ executives, and these services will be alongside in-house health care and wellbeing consultation facilities,” a spokesman for Leconfield House said in a submission to the town hall.
“In short, the concept is to provide mobile executives and professionals, who may be travelling, or working to international (rather than local) time zones, with a premium ‘one-stop shop’ for their business dealings in London.”
They added that the venue would predominantly only be for paying members and their guests.
