Ocubis, development manager for the owners of the site, Hotchkiss, has already gained planning for the big 166-flat riverside residential scheme.

Now the firm has argued that falling sales prices and softening sales rates in an area close to the oversupplied Vauxhall Nine Elms site necessitated a change of plan.

The towers will be connected by a five-storey podium with full height entrance

Lambeth council planners this week backed the move giving the all-clear to start enabling works for construction of the £250m scheme this autumn. The programme will run for 55 months.

Architect Make designed the original scheme to build two linked towers at the former garage site at 36-46 Albert Embankment.

The stepped exterior of the buildings is largely unchanged from the original flats plan although Jestico + Whiles was drafted in to make internal design changes for the switch to hotel use.