An "iconic" skyscraper with the highest bar in Europe and a 14th-floor glass-bottomed swimming pool is set to be built in Croydon.

Swimmers will be able to plunge into a pool suspended in the sky before sipping a beer on the roof of the 65-storey "mini-Shard," if developers' ambitious plans come to fruition.

A Chinese construction firm has signed a £500m deal to build One Lansdowne Road, which will be the tallest building in Croydon and offer panoramic views of the south of England.

Developers Guildhouse UK and Rosepride won planning permission in 2012 for a 55-floor town-centre skyscraper containing offices, flats and a hotel, but have since redrafted the proposals to include more housing - as well as eye-catching new design features.

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The fresh plans comprise of two towers blocks, rising to 35 and 65 storeys, linked at the 14th floor by a 25m glass-bottomed swimming pool.

The pool, which would be only the second of its type in the country, was the suggestion of the China Building Technique Group Company (CBTGC), who it was announced last month would construct the tower.

David Hudson, chief executive of Guildhouse, said he wanted the 220m skyscraper - which would be one of the highest residential blocks in the UK - to "become an attraction" that would "put Croydon on the map".

He said: "We've nicked an idea from [Battersea development] Nine Elms and are going to have a swimming pool flying between the two buildings. That would be public facility along with a gym."

"On top of the building we are going to have a bar and restaurant, which will be the highest bar in Europe. That will be open to the public.

"Because we are going to be so high, with views of London and views of the south, we are going to have a viewing gallery at the very top of the building to get people into the building and get it to become an attraction.

"We are trying to be a mini-Shard, if you like."

He added: "It will be stunning. It will put Croydon on the map. What we are showing is that you can do in Croydon what you can do anywhere else in London."

Wie Way, CBTGC's vice-president, told the Croydon Guardian the skyscraper would showcase the construction company's "technical strength".

He added: "We have got a lot of expertise in high-rise buildings and this is a good opportunity for us to enter the UK market."

A 'sky pool' planned for the Nine Elms development in Battersea, which provided inspiration for One Lansdowne Road

The developers first unveiled plans for the tower in 2008.

They initially planned to call it the Odalisk development in reference to Matisse's odalisque paintings, which inspired architect Piers Gough's design.

But the name's association with female slaves forced a change to the more prosaic One Lansdowne Road.

Revised proposals for the skycraper include 160,000sq ft of office space and no longer feature a hotel.

It is planned to include 184 studio apartments, 419 one-bedroom flats, 334 two-beds, 12 three-beds and 12 penthouse suites.

Mark Waterstone, managing director of Rosepride, said the skyscraper would be "one of the most iconic landmarks to London".

The plans would require the demolition of a hostel, a hotel, a gym, a café, a bar, a restaurant and offices in Lansdowne Road and Wellesley Road.

Croydon Council's planning committee will examine preliminary proposals for the development next week.

Guildhouse and Rosepride expect to submit a full planning application in December and hope to begin work next year, with construction expected to be completed in 2018.

The developers are also working together on the development of the grade II-listed Pump House in Exchange Square, off Surrey Street, where they are planning offices for tech companies, a restaurant and shops.

Mr Waterstone said: "We have believed in Croydon a long time - long before all these other developers were looking at it. We want this to be something that works."

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