The tallest residential skyscraper in western Europe will loom over the Thames opposite Greenwich.

Spire London is a planned 235 metre (771ft) high skyscraper, one foot taller than One Canada Square, set to be built in Canary Wharf on the banks of the river.

The construction group AECOM will build the new 67-storey tall tower and diggers have already started on the first phase, with the skyscraper set to be completed in late 2020.

Officially announced on May 30, AECOM are the same construction company that built the new One World Trade Centre in New York on the site of the former World Trade Centre twin towers.

The £800m Spire will include 861 one, two, and three-bedroom apartments and luxury penthouses, 765 of which are available for private sale.

The apartments on sale start at £665,000 and go up to £2.23m, but that doesn’t include the yet unreleased cost of the most expensive penthouses that could be at least triple that price.

Wenhao Qian, managing director of Greenland UK Investments, the Chinese property developing giant, said: “Spire London is set to become one of London’s iconic, landmark buildings, and it is vital that we have the right team in place that can deliver a project of this scale.

“AECOM has been a trusted partner for Greenland on our extensive portfolio, and we are delighted to have awarded them the Pre-Construction Services Agreement for the main construction works.

“We look forward to building our relationship with them as we work together to bring Spire London to life.”

Dan McQuade, Group President of AECOM Construction Services, said: “We are very excited to work with Greenland on this iconic project in the heart of London’s Docklands.

“It will be our fifth project working together across the globe, and we look forward to further strengthening our relationship and helping Greenland to bring their vision to life”.