Former bijou restaurant with celeb guestlists wants to reinvent itself after falling on hard times

By Adrian Zorzut, Local Democracy Reporter

A popular Notting Hill restaurant visited by the royals is set to be turned into a private members’ club, council documents show.

Owner ESRA says it plans to build a new courtyard dining room with a retractable roof at Beach Blanket Babylon on Ledbury Road, an application before Kensington and Chelsea council shows.

The famed restaurant is no longer in operation and earlier this month its co-owner Conor George Thomson-Moore pleaded guilty to multiple serious food safety offences, following an investigation that uncovered infestations of cockroaches, mice and rats.

ESRA has applied to refurb the site including installing new glazed doors, an additional storey in the form of a mansard roof, and open rooflights in the new courtyard. The club is expected to operate between 7am and 1am most days and has already secured a premises licence.

It will be able to accommodate 270 people, including staff. The application received 20 letters of support and 34 objections.

Objectors have said the retractable roof is “inappropriate” and are concerned about the glare caused by the new glazed roof. Kensington and Chelsea council said the roof would remain closed during operating hours and that the light pollution was acceptable.

Kensington and Chelsea council will review the application during a planning meeting on Tuesday. Mr Thomson-Moore admitted four charges at City of London Magistrates Court on April 3.

The charges relate to violations that occurred between September 2022 and March 2023, Kensington and Chelsea council said. Council inspectors found evidence of a serious mice infestation during visits to the Ledbury Road establishment, including mouse droppings around the premises and food items contaminated with mice faeces.

Officers also discovered packets of ingredients, including white seeds, cocoa powder and flaked almonds, which had been gnawed by mice. Further inspections revealed cockroaches, rats, inadequate pest control procedures, poor cleaning standards, and a later visit found the premises operating without hot water.

Mr Thomson-Moore is due to be sentenced later this year. According to the Daily Mail, Beach Blanket Babylon was a popular favourite with royals and stars like Rita Ora and Selena Gomez.