The £50million Sea View London Penthouses in The Shard.

The newest and tallest building in Central London will be able to offer prospective buyers one of the first things that the capital can offer, a sea view from their apartment windows. Ten apartments in the 1,020ft skyscraper will offer this unique view but it will come at a cost, between £30million and £50million per apartment.

The apartments will become the most elevated homes in Western Europe enabling them to have views of ships sailing in the North Sea, which is located 44 miles away. Astonishingly occupants will also be able to see the grandstand at Ascot racecourse in Berkshire, but only on a clear day. The apartments situated at the top of the £1.5billion building will poke through the clouds even on a rainy day as the glass spire is six times the height of Nelsons Column.

The Shard is compiled of 72 storeys, floors 53 to 65 will house the 62,000 sq ft apartments, which will have floor to ceiling glass to achieve the views that have been promised. The penthouse in The Shard will have an altitude of 735ft, below it will be restaurants, offices and hotel rooms which are leased by Asian hotelier Shangri-La. No offers have yet been made on any of the apartments, which will become available in the summer. The exterior of the building will be ready in July but it seems that the developers will have no problems selling the apartments as prime real estate in the capital is at an all time high with foreign investors desperately snapping up the most expensive properties in London. Astonishingly the number of Greeks investing in London real estate has risen from 2% to 6% due to their problems at home and due to Nicholas Sarkozy losing the election there could be a flood of French money into the capital from there very soon.

The apartments will benefit from having access to the service lift which can provide Champagne and caviar to the apartments from the Shangri-La below. The apartments also have room for a gym, guest bedrooms, a spa and many dressing areas. The apartments will be in the same price bracket as the One Hyde Park apartments, which are situated in Knightsbridge and developed by the Candy brothers. This was thought to be the world’s most expensive apartment block when constructed.

The opinion of The Shard is divided; many feel that the building adds a stunning addition to the capitals skyline. However others feel that it diminishes the visual integrity of world heritage sites such as the Tower of London. The Shard has been built by investment from Qatar and the developer admits that they do not know exactly how much the apartments will fetch. However the Met Office has admitted that it will be possible for the residents of the apartments to see over 44 miles on a good clear day. Therefore the views alone for these apartments could well be their unique selling point, which guarantees their success when it comes to their sale price.rnhttp://www.uklandforsale.org