A billionaire developer’s vision for a rooftop 'Sky Bar' atop a landmark in London's West End tourism hotspot will become a reality, despite initial police opposition.

The restaurant and bar, catering for up to 1,000 guests on the upper floors of the London Trocadero at Piccadilly Circus , has been granted permission for development.

Criterion boss, businessman and philanthropist Asif Aziz was not present for a Westminster City Council licensing sub-committee hearing on Thursday (April 19), which detailed the latest application concerning plans for one of the portfolio of key landmarks between Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square that his firm owns.

Criterion already had consent for transforming the building into the 740-room Trocadero Hotel, maintaining the original 1896 listed-facade.

Its latest application detailed plans for a £30m terraced garden, as well as the Sky Bar & Restaurant atop the building's 12th and 13th floors, which would operate separately from the hotel and be open to the public.

However, the Westminster Police Licensing Unit strongly objected to the application for the bar element of the development, in what its submission said was an already "pressured" area of the West End for officers.

Police raised concerns the rooftop attraction would transform into a nightspot, attracting long footpath queues, street level nuisance and criminals preying on late-night guests.

The iconic building in London's West End

Licensing sub-committee members quizzed Criterion's representatives about whether the Sky Bar's objective was to attract diners or drinkers.

But they insisted they were not developing a nightclub. Criterion earlier dropped plans to include a pool on the rooftop and had agreed with police on some conditions, including 24/7 security guards plus heavily limiting standing room on the rooftop.

PC Sandy Russell challenged the licence applicant's initial objections to bathroom attendants, ID scanning technology and bag search conditions that police had also proposed.

She said significant rates of cocaine use and sexual assaults occurred in London bars’ bathrooms, and security risks were serious in the capital, commenting: “We live in an era of terrorism, this is not just about people bringing in things like knives and drugs.”

Following the submission, Criterion’s solicitor Lisa Sharkey said her client offered to amend the conditions to include performing random bag searches as well as employing a late-night bathroom attendant, and would agree to exclude dancing space and live late-night entertainment from the rooftop.

Ms Sharkey said nearly £400m had been invested in the “high-end” hotel development and Criterion would heed police guidance.

“It is not in our interest to get this wrong," she added.

The developer was reluctant to budge on the police condition that alcohol should be served in plastic cups after 10pm, citing their target market as a discerning clientele, whom the committee heard would be offered a menu featuring oysters and steak tartare plus and a wine list starting at £25.

Ultimately the bar got the green light - and to serve its guests from glassware too. Chairman of the committee, Councillor Peter Freeman, granted the application, saying the amendments Criterion had offered in order to meet many of the police conditions had satisfied them it was not developing a nightclub.

It is earmarked to open in 2020.