A wave of around £6bn ($9.9) in bonuses expected to be distributed to City financiers in spring will support London's prime property market in areas such as Chelsea and Kensington, although the mainstream market is expected to continue to decline.

Savills, a high-end estate agent, said this morning that the prime London markets popular among bankers and financiers will be given a boost from the bonuses that are being awarded. It cited predictions made by the Centre for Economics and Business Research that there will be a 50% year-on-year rise in incentivised pay packages in 2009.