A pair of disused public toilets near Oxford Street are set to be turned into a 'speakeasy' bar that can only fit 30 customers at a time. The venue, which hasn't yet been named, plans to run seven days a week from the old underground toilets on Barrett Street, according to an application before Westminster City Council.

The applicant, SCP Estate Limited, wants to see the bar run until 1.30am Wednesday to Saturday and to 10.30pm every other night. They've also proposed limiting capacity to 30 people and not allowing drinks outside at any time following objections from a local amenity society, a licensing application shows.

The Marylebone Association, which represents residents south of Marylebone Road, said it was concerned the bar would bring in more crime and noise into what they described as a 'high stress area' and wanted to see the opening hours cut.

They wrote: "While we welcome the creative use of an otherwise redundant space, we are concerned by the applicant's request for licensable activities beyond core hours on Wednesday to Saturday.

"The representation is submitted on the basis that the likely effect of granting the (late licence element of the) application is to harm the licensing objectives, particularly 'prevention of public nuisance' and 'prevention of crime and disorder'."

SCP Estate Limited has also submitted a planning application to turn the abandoned loos into an underground bar. The report says the toilets, which were permanently closed in 2021 and flooded out a year prior, formed part of the council's public convenience project that assessed loos across the borough.

The project found a number of the borough's toilets were nearing the end of their lifespan and were becoming too expensive to maintain. The report also said the toilets on Barrett Street required 'significant investment' to make watertight while marketing to community groups to run it suffered a 'consistent lack of interest'.

The report found in excess of 40 community use groups were contacted over 18 months but that 'little engagement' was achieved. The property has been on the market since October 2021 with the 'explicit instruction to encourage and entertain all community oriented uses'.

The report added: "[The property advisers] believe this is due to the lack of interest or funding from community-oriented uses to undertake full conversion, and the space the conversion would provide is too small for those parties despite it being a highly prominent location. The report also sets out the lack of demand for an alternative social and community use for the space."

According to Companies House, SCP Estate Limited is run by American billionaire Berry Sternlicht. The company is located in Guernsey and has Mr Sternlicht names as the only beneficial owner.

Mr Sternlicht is the founder, Chairman and Chief Executive of Starwood Capital Group, an investment fund with over $100bn (GBP £80bn) in assets under management, according to the company's own website.