Gazprom Receives Approval to Build HQ in Russia

12 October 2010 (Last Updated October 12th, 2010 18:30)

Russian state body Glavgosekspertiza has granted final approval for the planned 403m-tall Gazprom headquarters in St Petersburg, Russia, which was earlier stalled due to opposition to the plans. Construction work on the Okhta Centre will begin once Gazprom, a Russian state-controlled e

Russian state body Glavgosekspertiza has granted final approval for the planned 403m-tall Gazprom headquarters in St Petersburg, Russia, which was earlier stalled due to opposition to the plans.

Construction work on the Okhta Centre will begin once Gazprom, a Russian state-controlled energy giant, obtains formal planning permission.

Okhta Centre project deputy director Vladimir Gronsky said the approval for the building has been received and it would not impact the Petersburg cityscape.

The UN's cultural organisation, UNESCO, which claims the skyscraper will destroy the city's skyline and has threatened to remove the city from its world heritage list, according to Agence France-Presse.