THIS is how the skyline at the heart of Southampton will look in two years' time after developers got the go-ahead for what they claimed would be the most striking building in the city.

The plush eight-storey office block will front a £70m scheme which includes a 15-storey apartment block and "car-free" hotel at Mayflower Plaza.

Its curved glass facade with coloured patterning will rise up from the derelict site on the corner of Havelock Road and Commercial Road. It will dwarf the nearby Civic Centre.

But city councillors who approved the scheme accepted there was a risk that the "speculative, market-led" office building may not be built if tenants aren't found because of the difficult financial climate.

Yet developers Terrace Hill said it was the best commercial site available in the city and were confident they could attract major "prestige" firms. They estimate the development will bring at least 650 new jobs.

Development executive Richard Myers told councillors: "We're committed to this site and have worked hard getting the right scheme in place."

He said an operator was due to be announced shortly for the three-star, 150-bed hotel next to The Mayflower theatre in Commercial Road. It will have a restaurant open to the public until 11.30pm.

A block of flats containing 180 homes, including 82 one-bed, 72 two-bed and 24 studio apartments, will be built off West Park Road. One quarter will be "affordable".

There will be basement parking for 115 cars accessed from West Park Road.

A computer generated aerial view of how Mayflower Plaza will look.

Residents will be given vouchers for cycle equipment, bus season tickets or car club membership.

The development will also feature a public plaza linking West Park Road with Commercial Road.

Nearby residents from Wyndham Court objected to the height and size of the development.

There were also concerns the dominant buildings would detract from views of the Civic Centre and its 48m clock tower.

Building work is expected to start in the summer. It should be completed by 2010 and will plug into the city's combined heat and power network.