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A luxury property in London’s historic Admiralty Arch is going on the market today with a record price tag of up to £150 million, the Standard can reveal.

The 15,000 sq ft home in the historic Grade I listed landmark boasts 12 bedrooms and 12 bathrooms and is now set to become one of the world’s most expensive apartments.

For their money the buyer would enjoy some of the best views and get to set up home where Winston Churchill once lived and Ian Fleming worked whilst creating James Bond.

Developers of the Arch are now quietly marketing the vast serviced apartment amongst super rich potential buyers, the Standard has learned.

Spanish developer Rafael Serrano, who bought a 250-year lease to the Grade I-listed building from the Government for a reported £60 million in 2012, is offering buyers the chance to own one huge apartment, or will split it into up to four flats ranging from 1700 sq ft up to 7100 sq ft.

Prime London property agents expect the price tag to range from £8000-£9,000 per sq ft. That would mean a buyer snapping up the whole residential site paying as much as £150 million, once stamp duty of over £16 million and fees were accounted for. For that, buyers would receive a 250 year lease.

Previous residents of the iconic Sir Aston Webb-designed building on the Mall, which leads from Trafalgar Square to Buckingham Palace, include Lords Mountbatten and Hailsham.

Mr Serrano has set to work turning most of the site into a 100 bedroom luxury hotel, and 12 international hotel groups are currently vying to run it.

He said: “The option for one purchaser to buy one serviced-residence would create the largest serviced residence apartment in London, and with the best views in the capital.”

The apartment will have six metre-high ceilings, intricate crests and original fireplaces, antique fittings from 1910, and come with “free” access to private off-road valet parking, a private entrance and lift, a 24-hour concierge service and security and lifetime membership to a private members’ club.

“It’s extremely rare for developments that are steeped in history, as well as offering unrivalled interiors and a full concierge service, to come to the market,” said Tim Macpherson, Head of London Residential Sales at agents Carter Jonas.

“The ceiling heights alone are at least a third higher than that of other luxury London apartments - then there’s the simple cachet of living at this address and presumably its unmatched London views.”

Richard Cutt, head of London super prime at agents Knight Frank, said: “This could be one huge residence that will be one of the grandest and finest serviced apartments in the world.

"It’s in a globally recognised landmark and a fantastic piece of architecture - whilst also being attached to what will be one of London’s finest hotels. That creates a very special blend of grandeur.”

If the Admiralty Arch property sold for £150m it would surpass London’s most expensive flat, a penthouse at One Hyde Park that sold for £140 million in 2014.

The same year a five-floor penthouse with a giant infinity pool and its own slide at the top of a new skyscraper in Monaco that overlooks the Mediterranean was put on the market for £240 million.

In New York the most expensive apartment, costing $85 million and taking up the entire 45th floor of the Midtown Manhattan building, included two Rolls-Royce Phantoms, a $1 million yacht, and dinner at a two-Michelin-starred restaurant once a week for a year, plus a Hamptons vacation rental for the summer, and a private chef in its estate agent listing.

Admiralty Arch’s terrace views span Buckingham Palace, St James’ Park and Trafalgar Square. But its proximity to the Queen’s London home has led to controversy, with peers warning the Government’s sale of the landmark could compromise national security.

Former home secretary Lord Reid has said of the development - which is part of the State Procession route between Buckingham Palace and the Palace of Westminster- Was “not a price worth paying.”

Admiralty Arch’s renovation involves some of Britain’s most expensive designers, including David Mlinaric, who has worked on the interiors of the Royal Opera House, the Victoria & Albert Museum and British Embassies in Paris and Washington, and Michael Blair, who transformed the The Connaught and Claridges hotels.

Mr Mlinaric said “the decorations are more colourful and more in keeping with late 20th Century and early 21st Century taste, the furnishings are a mixture of antique and contemporary for reasons of styling and comfort - it will be quite unlike any other London hotel.”

Other British firms involved include Linley, George Spencer Fabrics, Arthur Brett, Soane Britain, Collier Webb and Chesney’s.

Mr Serrano said: “We have created a dream team of architects and artisans to care for this historic building which has been part of the fabric of British royalty, politics, history and culture since the 1900s.

"Admiralty Arch … has always been a symbol of British social and political power and which has witnessed Coronations, Royal Weddings, grand state occasions and Presidential visits.

"Now it is entering a new, exciting phase as we transform the building into the finest hotel and residences in London.”

Building work is already underway, with buyers being asked to place a deposit now and move in “within three years.” The operator of the hotel is expected to be chosen in the coming months.

admiraltyarch.co.uk