The view from the BT Tower

FITZROVIA landmark the BT Tower is set to be converted into a luxury hotel.

The soaring, 177-metre-high edifice, built by the General Post Office and opened in 1965, has been sold to a US-based chain who have previously converted a New York flight control tower into a quirky place for guests to stay. The BT Group has struck a £275m deal for the Grade-II listed building that once boasted a revolving restaurant on an upper floor.

The restaurant was targeted by an IRA bomb in 1971, and closed permanently in 1981.

King’s Cross design group Heatherwick Studio will be working on the plans, and founder Thomas Heatherwick said: “It is an extraordinary building and an amazing opportunity to bring it back to life. We are excited at the prospect of working with Fitzrovia’s residents to repurpose this important piece of the city’s living heritage.”

But travellers wanting to stay in the 20th-century design masterpiece and enjoy grandstand views across the city are in for a wait: BT say it will take “years” to remove communications equipment before they can hand it over for conversion work to start.

The new owners say they will use the time to discuss their plans with Camden civic groups and the Town Hall before applying for permission.