The skyhouse concept is not new. Designers have been tinkering with ideas for both urban and countryside sky-towns since the 1960’s and at the time enthusiasm was not high. These days holiday complexes on sunny beaches are marketed as skyhouses but they don’t compare with the latest idea launched this week.

The concept of huge new tower blocks which use green technology been developed and designed by David Marks and Julia Barfield, the couple behind the highly successful London Eye as an answer to Britain's chronic housing shortage.

The Skyhouses, up to 50 stories high, would use high-quality design and construction and include high rise gardens, shops and health clubs. Skyhouses would also have wind turbines and solar panels as a renewable energy sources to provide electricity.

Each Skyhouse would be built in a cluster of three interconnected towers giving high density living but unlike the tower blocks of the 1960 they would almost be ‘towns’ in their own right and stand three-quarters the height of Canary Wharf Tower.

Communal facilities would be available every 10 floors and playgrounds within these areas would make it safer for children to play without having to go outside.

Each Skyhouse would include around 500 flats. Prices for flats would go for the current market rate but also 35% of flats in each Skyhouse would be for key workers such as teachers, nurses and police officers.

David Marks, co-designer of the project with his wife Julia Barfield said:

“Skyhouse has learnt from the past. We have designed buildings, which look beautiful, set them in wonderful landscapes, focused heavily on quality of life and sought to meet commercial, environmental, political and social housing requirements.”

“In short we think we have created a future way to live.''

A consortium of housing groups, financial bodies, land agents are backing the project. If there is enough interest, and government and local authority backing, the first Skyhouses could be built in London.