Victoria launches a new apartment complex next to Buckingham Palace

Victoria's spectacular transformation into a luxury residential and retail district is marked this week with the launch of Nova, a new apartment complex just moments from Buckingham Palace.

Daringly contemporary in design, the glass-clad development is set in plush gardens, replacing drab concrete office blocks with a five-acre island sanctuary site amid the traffic swirl opposite the train station.

High-quality interiors are promised, reflecting the area's rising status. Concierge services and underground parking are in the scheme with a private cinema, spa, health club and restaurant.

Though part of the generally smart SW1 postcode, and bordering Belgravia, Victoria has been passed over by many as a place to live and socialise. Local landowner Land Securities is changing all that as the long, windswept high street, and notably Cardinal Place, becomes a retail precinct, supported by St James Theatre, the first new theatre in central London for 30 years, and Victorian pubs that are opening up as fashionable brasseries.

The locale is also becoming a hub for designer fashion brands including Burberry, Jimmy Choo and Tom Ford. Prices at Nova start at £625,000 for a studio, through Hamptons International. Call 020 7024 3889.