THE Prince of Wales could be close to victory in his battle to thwart a giant modernist development backed by Gulf royalty in one of the most historic districts of London.

The Qatari royal family has submitted plans to Westminster council for a complex of luxury flats designed by Lord Rogers on the site of Chelsea Barracks, next to Sir Christopher Wren’s Royal hospital.

However, with weeks to go before planners decide on the glass and steel development, sources close to the negotiations say the Qataris are now willing to adapt their designs to the more traditional brick and stone favoured by the prince.

Meetings have begun between Qatari representatives and Sir Michael Peat, Charles’s private secretary, to reach a “mutual accord”.

The negotiations come as architects brace themselves for the prince’s next public comments about their profession.

Charles is drafting a speech to mark the 25th anniversary of his blistering assault on a modernist design for the National Gallery as a “monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved and elegant friend”.

However, he is not expected to use his speech in May to the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) to lambast building styles, rather to urge the profession to reinvent itself to tackle the threat of climate change.

“It doesn’t mean he thinks the old battles have been won but perhaps because he has passed his 60th birthday, he’s now a big-picture man,” said one source. “He still cares about buildings but climate change and sustainability are now his top concerns.”

It is understood his assistant private secretary, Manon Williams, who is also sister-in-law to William Hague, the shadow foreign secretary, is helping write the speech.

The row over the barracks, home to Guards regiments until the government sold it in 2007, erupted last week.

It emerged that Charles had written to the emir of Qatar’s investment firm, Qatari Diar, urging the scrapping of the Rogers design and commending ideas drawn up by Quinlan Terry, Charles’s favourite neo-classical architect.

A source close to the development said that, if the current plans are approved, the company might then return to the council to submit revisions.

“The prince has a lot of good ideas and we’re more than happy to discuss how they might be built into the scheme after the scheme secures consent,” said the source.

“This is a 10-year project and a huge amount of changes can be made after approval.

“What we’re really saying is please let us bank [planning] consent, then we’ll continue our dialogue with you and seek fresh consent for the changes.”

A spokesman for Qatari Diar confirmed discussions were taking place, but declined to give details. Charles enjoys strong links with the Qatari royal family, headed by the emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani. He has cooperated with them on a number of projects to promote traditional Islamic arts.

However, the architectural establishment accuses him of trying to use the royal network to circumvent the planning process. Sunand Prasad, president of RIBA, said the prince’s intervention risked undermining the “democratic process”. The government’s Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment has also said it supports Rogers.

Charles has support on the local authority, however. Robert Davis, Westminster’s cabinet member for planning, said: “The Quinlan Terry design is superb . . . I’m hoping the Qataris give it careful consideration.”

If Rogers is ousted, it would be a significant victory for the prince against one of the doyens of British modernism.

Charles frequently lobbies planners and developers to protect historic buildings. After Boris Johnson was elected mayor of London, the prince hosted a meeting at which he urged an end to the policy of Ken Livingstone, the previous mayor, of encouraging skyscrapers.

He has accused planners of creating a “pockmarked” sky-line that risks “vandalising” London.

Clarence House declined to comment this weekend.

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• Why Witherspoon is highlighting domestic violence
• No, MP does not stand for Mostly Plastered
• Don’t bottle out of your champagne moment