Spire London will be the tallest residential tower in Western Europe

An £800m skyscraper development in West India Quay, London, is set to become the tallest residential building in Western Europe.

The Spire London will feature 861 luxury apartments, an infinity pool, cinema room, five-star spa and cocktail bar with unrivalled views across the capital.

It will also boast a paved piazza, dancing fountain, sculptured benches and entrance driveways lined with birch trees.

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"There will be a concierge at hand at an orchid-shaped reception desk in the lobby with six metre high ceilings, columns, feature lighting and lounge seating," says the Daily Mail.

"The frustration of waiting for a lift will disappear, with nine lifts providing a waiting time of just 35 seconds. Once in the lift, the cars will shoot up at six metres per second."

The design of the building will be inspired by the orchid, a flower cultivated in China for more than 30,000 years, says the Mail. "Three petals form the spire with nautical style 'prow' and 'bow' contours."

The apartments are expected to be priced between £595,000 and £3m, with some due to go on sale as early as next month.

Above ground demolition has already begun and the Spire is expected to reach half its total height by the summer of 2018, with completion due in 2020.

The 67-storey, 771ft tower is being built by the Greenland Group, a Shanghai-based firm that has promised an "iconic landmark on the London skyline". Chairman and president of the firm, Yuliang Zhang, says the tower "underlines London's enduring status as a world-class city and destination".

The public launch of the development next month marks "one of the most ambitious housing project commitments here since Britain voted in June to leave the European Union", says the London Evening Standard, and comes "despite market concerns over a glut of homes in parts of the capital".