The year is 2490 and a troop of tourists emerge from their site to see the ancient monument, a leaning tower that was once hailed as an architectural masterpiece. But it is not in Italian that the guide is speaking, for this tower is not in Pisa, but in Islington, North London.

If the truth be told, it probably won't turn out to be a huge tourist attraction, certainly not on the scale of it's Italian cousin, but the London's own leaning tower will certainly be an interesting addition to the skyline if it gets the go ahead.

The architect of the ambitious plan is Sheppard Robson, who are building the 38-storey tower on behalf of DGI, the property subsidiary of Deutsche Bank. Although it won't be the tallest building in London, particularly once some of the planned towers are constructed, at 200 metres it will certainly not be dwarfed by anything in its vicinity.

The design will pose an unusual set of difficulties for the architects and engineers working on the project. The first ten storeys will rise vertically upwards, after which it will keel at an angle of 20 degrees before straightening up again. The leaning section would comprise about 60% of the total structure.

The tower is to be located on the fringe of Islington at Ropemaker Place, near Moorgate, and is the latest in a series of proposed tall buildings for London, including London Bridge Tower and Heron Tower. Planning consent for the project is yet to be granted.