It's top of the stack!

This could be the world's most exclusive restaurant. A single table atop the northeast chimney of Battersea power station will afford some of the most stunning views of London - and the absence of other diners means that there will be no competition for the attention of the head waiter.

The future use of the four chimneys is revealed in detailed planning applications being submitted today.

Another chimney could house "an adrenaline-charged thrill ride" using the latest in music and lighting technology.

Redevelopment requires that the iconic chimneys are to be rebuilt after scientific evidence proved that they are too corroded to be repaired.

Studies have revealed that Thames river water, which was used in the cement mix to build the chimneys, is responsible for corrosion of the steel reinforcements.

As a result, Listed Building Consent Applications will be lodged today with Wandsworth council to allow the chimneys to be taken down and replaced with exact replicas.

A spokesman for Battersea owner Parkview said: "We have given legal undertakings that the building and the contribution it makes to the London skyline will be unaltered."

Plans for one of the southern chimneys include a historic tour followed by a slow ride up to the top by way of a large observation platform.

The tour would begin in the power station's art deco control room, giving full access to the historical elements of the building which once provided electricity to 20 per cent of London's population.

An interactive museum will include interviews with former staff.

The fourth chimney will be used as part of a "combined heat and power" plant, claimed to be "a world leader in ecologically friendly power generation" which will enable the completed development to provide its own power, water, heating and cooling, thereby reducing carbon emissions.