Iconic Camden club loved by Spandau Ballet set to be turned into new hotel

Derelict building that was once the heart of a 1980s music and fashion revolution will be demolished and replaced with self-contained ‘aparthotel’ units

The former home of an iconic 1980s club that helped launch the careers of Spandau Ballet and Boy George is set to become a new apartment hotel complex.

Camden Council has approved plans to demolish a disused building in Covent Garden that hosted the Blitz Club between 1979 and 1980, leaving a lasting imprint on music and culture for decades.

On Thursday (July 30), the local planning authority greenlit proposals to knock down the former nightclub’s premises and refurbish the adjacent eight-storey Edwardian building, Kingsway House, which has stood vacant since 2022. Both structures will be integrated into a single 80-room complex operated by Beyond Aparthotels.

The “aparthotel” is a form of visitor accommodation that comprises apartments with hotel-like amenities and services, but with more space and privacy, making it more closely resemble a traditional apartment. However, it remains strictly commercial visitor accommodation and not permanent residences.

The setup is designed to encourage “slightly longer lengths of stay than a traditional, transient hotel”. The operator expects most weekend business will come from medium-term stays of 1 to 3 weeks.

According to curators at the Design Museum, the “trailblazing” club was “where 1980s style began”, inspired by David Bowie, cabaret culture, punk, and soul, and credited with fostering the New Romantic subculture. It was renowned for its strict door policy that saw co-founder Steve Strange turn away anyone not dressed like “a walking piece of art”, according to the London Museum.

Regular patrons of the exclusive Tuesday club nights at the venue were dubbed the “Blitz Kids”, including fashion designer Stephen Linard and the founders of the influential fashion label BodyMap.

During the 18 months it was open, the club’s stage saw performances from Boy George, Visage and Spandau Ballet in their first live performance.

A local group, the Kingsway Conservation Area Advisory Committee, formally objected to the application on several grounds, including that the replacement building would be too large and imposing for surrounding streets, and that despite its poor condition, the former club premises made a positive contribution to the area’s historic character.

However, the council found that the additional height and mass caused “low-level” harm and were outweighed by the benefits of bringing the derelict buildings back into use.

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