The developers behind the Battersea Power Station site have appointed master planner and strategic urban design practice Studio Egret West to change the original Rafael Viñoly masterplan for the remaining 16 acres of the 42-acre riverside neighbourhood.
The partners said the plans could deliver up to 3.2 million square feet of residential, commercial, cultural and leisure at the London site.
They added that Studio Egret West’s appointment will ensure the project fully reflects the "changes in societal behaviour and technology for the future". The plans will aim to "advance the neighbourhood’s rich mixed-use offering", while contributing to the Mayor of London’s Growth Plan.
Battersea Power Station was bought by Malaysian shareholders in 2012 and has been redeveloped with over 2,200 homes, 800,000 square feet of offices, a new Zone 1 London Underground station and over 150 retail, dining and leisure units. Events such as London Fashion Week, Olympic fan zones and celebrASIA, the Southeast Asian festival by Battersea Power Station, have been introduced. The Grade II* listed Power Station, which opened to the public in 2022 following an eight-year restoration, has had 40 million visitors.
The final phases of Battersea Power Station will connect to the new Nine Elms Park, a 14-acre green space running from Vauxhall, through Nine Elms and ending at the six-acre riverfront Power Station Park.
Steps have already been made to progress future phases, with construction of two Gehry-designed buildings that will complete Electric Boulevard, the pedestrianised high street, set to start in the coming months. Battersea Power Station and Wandsworth Council have also recently announced a partnership to deliver around 200 new council homes as in the future phases, subject to planning and funding approvals.
Shahril Ridza Ridzuan, chairman of Battersea Project Holding Company, said in a statement: “The way cities function has shifted dramatically since 2012, when we purchased and began work on the Battersea Power Station redevelopment project. Fourteen years later, now is a critical time to reflect on the original plans and fine tune them to better support how people now live, work and spend their leisure time in the city. I speak on behalf of the shareholders in saying that London remains one of the most captivating and innovative cities in the world, driven by growth and being supportive of inward investment.”
Sam Cotton, Interim CEO of Battersea Power Station Development Company, said in a statement: “With the appointment of Studio Egret West, we are pressing the start button on the delivery programme for the final phases of Battersea Power Station, having tasked them to ensure that what’s still to come at this development reflects the vision and ambition of our shareholders for the riverside neighbourhood, while reflecting the changes in technology and society since it was conceived. Today’s appointment marks an exciting exploratory step forward in visioning how Battersea Power Station will look in 10 to 15 years time.”
David West, founding director, Studio Egret West, said: "Our work on the remaining circa 50% of the neighbourhood will build upon the site’s remarkable legacy and seek to extend its cultural, commercial and community significance at both local and London levels. We feel Battersea Power Station’s candescence and hope to further spread and sustain its glow.”
The redevelopment of Battersea Power Station was carried out by Malaysian shareholders S P Setia, Sime Darby Property, and the Employees’ Provident Fund. In 2019, Malaysian fund management company Permodalan Nasional Berhad and pension fund EPF became the long-term commercial asset holders of the Power Station.
In October, it emerged that the Malaysian owners were reviewing a sale of the landmark London building. The state-owned investor PNB and pension fund EPF, had appointed French bank BNP Paribas to explore options after receiving approaches. A figure of £2 billion had been suggested for its value.
The assets under consideration are the non-residential parts of the listed power station building including 500,000 square feet of offices leased to Apple, a 420,000-square-feet shopping mall in the turbine halls, and the chimney lift visitor attraction. The process does not include built assets outside of the power station which would remain under another ownership vehicle. That vehicle also intends to bring forward the remaining proposed development at the site. There is no guarantee that they will decide to sell.
The consortium behind the £8 billion redevelopment of the site secured an £1.1 billion refinancing of the construction debt on the commercial assets at the development in 2024.
Originally designed by architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, the power station supplied a fifth of London’s electricity at its peak. It was fully decommissioned in 1983.
For a feature on the story of the development of Battersea Power Station click here.