The site of the 2015 Hatton Garden safe deposit heist, where thieves stole an estimated £14 million in gems, cash, and valuables, is under consideration for transformation into a robbery-themed bar. The proposal, submitted to Camden Council by landlord Pearl & Coutts, aims to create a subterranean venue that would incorporate original features from the crime.
This plan would necessitate the closure of E Katz & Co, a jewelry shop that has operated above the vault since 1946. The shop, founded by Holocaust survivor Emil Katz, is currently run by his 86-year-old son, George. George Katz has described the proposal as 'ghoulish and completely inappropriate,' emphasizing the significant financial and personal devastation the 2015 robbery caused to many individuals in the area, some of whom reportedly lost their livelihoods and insurance coverage for the stolen items.
Henig Diamonds, another business in Hatton Garden, expressed concern that approving such a change of use could diminish the concentration of jewelry businesses in the historic quarter. Simon Loubskey added that replacing E Katz & Co and its associated workshop with a bar celebrating the robbery would be a 'travesty for the Hatton Garden.'
The planning application highlights the site as a 'largely vacant space and storage space including an existing vault,' noting that original heist features, such as a damaged door gate, a drilled hole in the wall, and safety deposit boxes, would be preserved as part of the bar's theme. Planning documents suggest potential designs by Inception Group, a company specializing in themed venues.
Camden Council stated that it aims to protect existing businesses within Hatton Garden, which has been a center for the jewelry industry since the 19th century. The council indicated that it would seek to secure suitable new premises for jewelry workshops and related uses and protect them through planning obligations. The consultation period for the application closed on August 30, 2026, and officers are reviewing the proposal against development policies and public feedback.
The 2015 heist, carried out by a gang of six elderly individuals dubbed the 'Diamond Wheezers,' remains partially unresolved, with over £9.5 million of the stolen loot still unaccounted for. The mastermind behind the robbery, Brian 'The Guvnor' Reader, died in 2023, having only been compelled to repay a small fraction of his estimated earnings from the crime and other activities. The thieves reportedly gained entry through a lift shaft and drilled through the vault walls during the Easter and Passover bank holiday weekend, when many businesses were closed.