Abramovich's £150m palace gets fast-track approval

Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich has come to the aid of the collapsing London housing market by managing to fast-track the proposed redevelopment of his £150m pad in central London.

The Daily Mail has reported that permission was granted in its entirety in just 13 weeks whereas some building projects tread water for years as they get increasingly bound up in red tape.

Building will start immediately. The rich Russian, who is also bankrolling some Premier League football club, has two stucco-fronted properties that run over eight floors. They are in Lownes Square, behind Harvey Nichols in Knightsbridge.

Within the costly reshaping comes the installation of a cinema room and a steam room – perhaps to put to use when some of his Chelsea team arrive in the early hours after a bout of nightclubbing.

The Daily Mail notes: “His plans were approved so speedily because he employed a reputable architect to work closely with council conservation officers”.