Battersea Power Station Redevelopment

The proposed development of the site currently occupied by the iconic Battersea Power Station is on an under-utilized brownfield site that has lain dormant since the early 1980s.

In June the Guardian produced a useful pictorial history of the site which can be found at: Battersea gallery.

Being located within the Vauxhall/Nine Elms/Battersea Opportunity Area (OA), the site has been recognized as an area in need of redevelopment and renewal.
The developer is proposing a new riverside community with thousands of homes, shopping, a hotel, cafés, and office floor space. It will be a new urban quarter with a balance between homes and offices, so people can live within walking distance of their workplace. The Power Station building will provide culture and entertainment amenities, and will be a destination for Londoners and tourists to visit.
The developer is working with Transport for London and London Underground to deliver a new extension of the Northern Line from Kennington station, to link the site to the underground network.
The site is dominated by the Power Station building, one of the world’s largest brick buildings. It forms the cornerstone of the development proposals. The developer has established an aspiration to achieve a ‘Zero Carbon’ Power Station in use.
The primary energy for the building will be derived from a biofuel-fired combined cooling heat and power (CCHP) plant located in the Energy Centre beneath the Power Station Park. ‘Zero Carbon’ status will be achieved by:

• generating low carbon electricity, heating and cooling serving site-wide district heating, cooling and power networks on a phased basis;
• the export of low carbon electricity to offset high carbon grid supplied electricity;
• district heating connected to the proposed OA district heating network.
  

The CCHP installation will initially utilise a mix of biofuels and natural gas but with the flexibility to incorporate waste-derived fuel (e.g. methane from bio-digestion) should this become available and viable for the latter phases of the development.
The development will offer the following general sustainability features:

• a high density mix of uses on a brownfield site;a high quality, inclusive design and enhanced public realm;
• respect for the natural environment, with enhanced biodiversity and open space;
• minimum possible carbon emissions from both operation and materials to mitigate against climate change;
• accessible, usable and permeable for all users;sustainable, durable and adaptable in terms of design, construction and use;
• secure, safe and accessible environments where crime and disorder, including terrorism, and fear of crime do not undermine the quality of life or community cohesion;
• practical and legible.

As well as the extension of the Northern Line from Kennington station to link the Site to the underground network, the following transport initiatives are currently envisaged:

• improvements to bus services;
• high quality pedestrian and cycle networks, including improvements to the Thames Path to improve connectivity to the river and the strengthening of east–west links to Battersea Park and Queenstown Road Station;
• potential extension of the river bus service.
  

Site-wide grey water recycling and the use of borehole abstraction will meet part of the potable water demand, landscape irrigation and fire hydrant services for the development. The construction will conform to current best practice standards for both site operation and waste management. Reused, recycled and prefabricated construction materials will be used, where practicable.
The development will form a new sustainable and creative district in Wandsworth, and will act as ‘a catalyst for [the] social and economic growth’ of the wider OA. The area surrounding the Site is a historically deprived area where environmental exclusion has brought down aspirations and achievements of the local populations for decades. The two Wards closest to the development, Queenstown and Latchmere, have some of the highest unemployment rates and lowest qualifications in the Borough. The Index of Multiple Deprivation classifies these neighbourhoods as severely deprived in the dimensions of employment, education, training and skills development.
It is estimated that the development will generate in the region of 25,000 net direct construction related jobs during the anticipated 14-year construction programme. Once the development is complete and operational, the opportunities for on-site inward investment through offices, retail, food and beverage, cultural and arts business represent an overall uplift of the OA area. These new businesses should create new employment for some 17,000 people in a diverse range of sectors, including services, catering, public services, with opportunities in sport, arts and cultural facilities.
A key aspect of building a sustainable community will be to ensure that the on-site public services are accessible and integrated to provide the best service for the local population. The development will include space for new social infrastructure, culture and community facilities, which is likely to include a health clinic, to expand and improve healthcare provision for all OA residents.
The development is likely to cater for all children requiring nursery school spaces through the provision of conveniently located nursery facilities. Play spaces across the development will be located close to residential areas with enhanced facilities closest to the larger family dwellings.
The Power Station Park to the north of the Power Station will link to the open space/public realm provided on the jetty. This will create a new ‘local park’, which will help to mitigate the known existing deficiency in this area.

Wandsworth Borough Council approved the scheme on 11 November 2010 and London Mayor Boris Johnson approved the scheme in mid-December. The next stage of the process will see the application considered by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. This represents the largest ever planning application in Central London. REO were reported in June to be planning to demerge the £4.5b Power Station redevelopment from their main business and are looking for a partner to take on 50% of the project.

Construction of Phase 1 is scheduled to commence in early 2012 with completion in 2016. The remaining phases, including the new underground station will follow, with the entire development scheduled for completion in 2024.

For a 'fly-through' of the latest scheme click on: