A 30-storey landmark skyscraper is planned for the shore of the Firth of Forth under new proposals to regenerate the capital's docklands.
The 300ft-high hotel and flats building would tower above a vastly expanded Ocean Terminal shopping and leisure complex. The plan is part of a blueprint drawn up by Forth Ports which is due to be submitted to the city council next month.
A spokesman for Forth Ports said last night: "It is in the early stages just now, but it would be very sympathetic to its surroundings."
RMJM, the Edinburghbased architects who helped design the Scottish Parliament building, and RTKL, the design firm responsible for the transformation of Baltimore Harbour in the United States, are both working on the transformation of the docks. It is expected work on the skyscraper and the expansion of Ocean Terminal could get under way within three years, if approved.
Glasgow is home to the country's tallest building, the Science Centre tower, which stands at 416ft. It is due to be be overtaken by a GBP100m, 39-storey, residential and office block in Elphinstone Place, on the site of the old Strathclyde Regional Council headquarters.
The Edinburgh waterfront blueprint also includes plans for a new cultural quarter at Britannia Quay, which could include a new museum and major concert arena, and a new commercial development featuring shops, offices and flats between Ocean Terminal and the Scottish Executive headquarters at Victoria Quay as well as an extension to Leith Links and new schools.
Donald Anderson, the city's tourism and culture leader, said the development would create a "significant" number of jobs.
