Some building projects can take years to get off the ground.

But when Roman Abramovich is involved, things tend to move a little more quickly.

Some 13 weeks after the Russian oligarch asked Kensington and Chelsea council for permission to build to build a £150million home, the scheme has already been rubber-stamped in its entirety.

Building will start immediately on the development, spread across two stucco-fronted properties running over eight floors in Lowndes Square, behind Harvey Nichols in Knightsbridge.

Roman Abramovich with girlfriend Daria Zhukova, left, and the sumptuous Knightsbridge plot

It is estimated it will be worth £33million more than the most expensive house ever sold in Britain - a home in Kensington Palace Gardens bought by Lakshmi Mittal for £117million this year.

Mr Abramovich's new home will include eight bedrooms, a cinema/entertainment room, an indoor heated pool and a steam room.

The home is currently two adjoining townhouses, which were split into nine apartments.

Mr Abramovich, who is worth an estimated £14billion, has been patiently buying up the individual flats as they come on to the market.

He first bought a flat there in the late 1990s, spending £1.2million. That was before he bought Chelsea FC, a Sussex estate and a home worth £40million in nearby Chester Square, which his wife Irina kept following their divorce.

Abramovich has held on to the Lowndes Square flat and steadily expanded his portfolio.

By buying up individual flats, the Russian has ended up paying between £15million and £20million for the two historic houses.

Experts said yesterday that his plans were approved so speedily because he employed a reputable architect to work closely with council conservation officers.

Although he has properties in several countries including Russia, the size of this British development has led to speculation that he may be planning to settle down, or at least spend more time here, with his girlfriend, Russian heiress Daria Zhukova.