St. Petersburg governor relocates controversial Okhta Center skyscraper

St. Petersburg Governor Valentina Matviyenko said on Thursday the construction site for the divisive 400-meter Okhta Center skyscraper will be moved.

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© The Okhta Center ™

St. Petersburg Governor Valentina Matviyenko said on Thursday the construction site for the divisive 400-meter Okhta Center skyscraper will be moved.

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© The Okhta Center ™

Plans by Russia's gas monopoly Gazprom to erect a needle-like tower, derisively dubbed Gazoscraper, next to the 18th century Smolny Cathedral have prompted fierce public opposition in the country's second largest city.

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Downtown St. Petersburg is a UNESCO world heritage site and critics say the Okhta Center will ruin the city's unique low-rise skyline.

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© RIA Novosti . Aleksei Danichev

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The $2 billion project is sponsored by the Russian energy giant Gazprom.

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© The Okhta Center ™

"We have talked to Gazprom and made a joint and final decision to move the project to another site," Matviyenko said.

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© The Okhta Center ™

She did not say exactly where it would be built, only adding that there will be "thorough consultations" on the issue with the city's urban development committee and other expert groups.

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© The Okhta Center ™

Local residents and public activists were outraged by the plans of the Russian energy giant Gazprom to build the Okhta Business Center.

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© The Okhta Center ™

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev earlier advised to wait with construction of the skyscraper.

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© RIA Novosti . Aleksei Danichev

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Director of UNESCO's World Heritage Centre Francesco Bandarin also criticized the project.