A team from the US architect designing the new 拢690m American embassy in London held talks with architectural watchdog Cabe in the capital last week.

Representatives from Philadelphia-based Kieran Timberlake, which won the design competition for the job earlier this year, held a series of face-to-face briefings on the project with Cabe, Greater London Authority, Wandsworth council and Metropolitan Police officials during a two-week visit to the city that ends today.

The team also met with about 70 members of the Battersea Society, a group of residents living in the area where the new embassy will be situated.

A US embassy spokesperson said the talks were primarily centred on consultations over planning issues for the new building.

He said: 鈥淭here has been a positive reaction to the project from everyone the team met. People were really pleased with the design, particularly the people in Wandsworth.鈥�

Construction work isn鈥檛 expected to begin on the project until 2013.

The spokesperson said: 鈥淭here is still plenty of opportunity for local companies to take part in this project. Obviously there are security issues in some areas that are more sensitive than others, but local companies can apply for construction contracts.鈥�

The embassy will be the most expensive high-security embassy built by the US, surpassing the Baghdad embassy, which cost about 拢520m, and the under-construction Islamabad embassy, which has cost about 拢600m.

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