Construction of Gazprom’s 463-meter (1,520-foot) tall Lakhta Center complex in St. Petersburg is scheduled to begin in October, according to the head of the subsidiary in charge of the project. Gazprom received permission from the city to build the much-disputed skyscraper complex earlier in August.

“Construction will proceed in phases,” announced Alexander Bobkov, the head of ZAO Okhta Public and Business Center, the company which is overseeing construction of the complex. “The tower itself will take the longest to build. I think we will break ground in October, since there are no legal or technical issues.”

However, not everyone agrees the issues are settled.

"A group of local politicians and city heritage activists have appealed to City Governor Georgy Poltavchenko, asking him to reduce the height of the planned 463-meter Lakhta Center," the Moscow Times reports. "Preservationists claim that the skyscraper will interfere with the panoramas protected by UNESCO."

The 334,000-square meter (3,600,000-square foot) Lakhta Complex will serve as the headquarters for Gazprom’s oil arm, Gazprom Neft, as well as other Gazprom subsidiaries.

Each square meter is expected to cost $2,500-$3,500 according to local media reports.

Find previous CTBUH coverage here.