Criterion Capital has received planning approval from Wandsworth Council to convert the former Morley’s department store in Tooting into a Zedwell hotel.
The development will retain the building’s historic façade while introducing 92 hotel rooms and new street-level retail and food outlets.
The scheme forms part of the company’s expansion of its Zedwell brand. Criterion acquired the vacant building following Morley’s closure and plans to repurpose it as a mixed-use destination combining hospitality, commercial activity and improved public space.
The project will preserve the existing structure rather than demolish it, in line with what the company describes as a “reuse-first” approach aimed at reducing waste and embodied carbon.
Halima Aziz, head of hotels at Criterion Hospitality, said the scheme reflected the “group’s commitment to adaptive reuse and local regeneration”.
Construction timelines have not yet been confirmed.
Aziz said: “This project embodies our philosophy of thoughtful, adaptive reuse – reimagining a much-loved local building to serve a new purpose for modern audiences. Through this transformation, we continue to expand our hospitality portfolio while contributing to the regeneration, safety and economic vitality of the area.”
