Battersea Power Station, Wandsworth, London – Battersea Power Station Development Company

The Grade II* listed Power Station has already begun to welcome residents, with over 100 shops, restaurants and cafes, events, a unique chimney lift experience offering 360-degree panoramic views of London’s skyline and new office space. Circus West Village is now home to over 1,700 residents and a mix of independent and design-led restaurants, cafés, shops, leisure and entertainment venues that welcome over three million people each year. 

Where is the project located?
Battersea Power Station, London. SW11 8AH
 
Who is the developer/client of the project?
Battersea Power Station Development Company

Battersea Power Station is one of central London’s largest, new riverside neighbourhoods. The £9bn regeneration of the iconic Grade II* listed Landmark and it’s 42-acre site will see the creation of a vibrant, mixed-use destination offering a community of homes, shops, restaurants, offices, culture and leisure venues, as well as 19 acres of public space. 

The Grade II* listed Power Station, the second phase of the development, will open from September 2022 and will house over 100 shops, restaurants and cafes, a events venue, a unique chimney lift experience offering 360-degree panoramic views of London’s skyline and new office space. The Power Station has already begun to welcome residents into the 254 new residential apartments.

The retail and leisure experience will continue on a new high street, Electric Boulevard, which runs from the south of the Power Station, between the Frank Gehry designed Prospect Place and Foster + Partners’ Battersea Roof Gardens. Electric Boulevard, also opening from September 2022, will offer a mix of office space, shops, bars and restaurants, a park, playground and an exciting new 164 room hotel from art’otel®, the brand’s first hotel to open in London.

The first completed chapter, Circus West Village, is open and now home to over 1,700 residents. This vibrant riverside neighbourhood has an exciting mix of independent and design-led restaurants, cafés, shops, leisure and entertainment venues. The thriving riverside neighbourhood usually welcomes over three million people each year.

The project is expected to complete by 2032.

How are you seeking to foster community, welcome visitors and attract tenants. How are you responding to changing demographics, behaviours, market context, policy, transport habits and the climate crisis since winning planning?

Since 2017 the team have worked to make Circus West Village a vibrant community and it is now home to over 1,700 residents.There is a rolling footfall of three million people each year thanks to the Circus West Village annual events programme including Summer Showtime on The Coaling Jetty and The Winter Village at Battersea Power Station.

As of the last few months, residents and visitors to Battersea Power Station are able to enjoy numerous new green and open public spaces, including the six-acre Power Station Park, which sits directly in front of the building on the banks for the river. The Prospect Park Playground opened last week and is already being enjoyed by families.

Battersea Power Station has committed more than £300 million for its own Zone 1 Northern Line extension - London’s first tube extension in nearly 30 years. The new BPS underground station opened in September 2021 and has enhanced the local area’s connectivity, benefiting those living in the immediate and wider area, commuters and local businesses, and boosting tourism to Battersea.

The exciting riverside neighbourhood has more than 20 retailers now open. The team have worked to curate the tenants so that there is a mix of offerings, with more to come as over 100 shops and restaurants open in the Power Station and the new High Street later this year.

1.25 million sq ft of high-quality grade-A office space gives residents the option to work locally and spend more time with families and friends.

 
What is your sustainability strategy and how are you mitigating carbon use and construction pollution? Please provide any evidence or data. 

In 2018, Battersea Power Station decided to source all electricity from renewable energy sources. Since January 2020, both construction managers, Mace on Phase 2, and Sir Robert McAlpine on Phase 3a have been Net Zero Carbon on all construction operations associated with Scope 1 and 2 emissions. 

If built today, the reused primary structural elements of the Power Station itself, including the concrete substructure, piles and superstructure of steel frame and concrete slabs would equate to a carbon footprint of around 36,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e).

This figure does not include the masonry façade and internal masonry elements, which was expected to have an carbon footprint of a similar magnitude. Even further savings have also been made due to reduced waste disposal requirements, reduced transportation of materials and waste, and a reduction in required construction activities.

While the specific design and material requirements of the alternative design/ building are not known, and therefore a direct comparative footprint cannot be produced, the significant embodied carbon emissions associated with the reused assets demonstrate the level of savings anticipated to have been achieved by retaining so much of the existing building.

The Phase 3b office scheme is targeting BREEAM Outstanding, which is the highest achievable standard and currently only 1% of buildings assessed have achieved this rating. With the design now complete, the team is compiling the evidence base to support each of the credits required to achieve the outstanding rating. This will then be assessed and verified by the BRE.
 
Describe the social impact of the project: How is this place contributing to the economic, environmental and social wellbeing of its citizens? Please provide any evidence or data. 

At the start of the pandemic, BPS established Power to Connect (PtC) - in partnership with Wandsworth Council - to tackle digital poverty in the borough. This supported local families struggling to home-school and stay digitally connected throughout the multiple lockdowns. 

The initiative collects, updates and delivers laptops, tablets and desktop computers to schools and community organisations in Wandsworth. Since launching, PtC has collected over 1,667 devices, donating to local organisations and over 73 nearby schools.

On its first anniversary (April 2021), PtC launched the ‘Digital Skills Pilot Scheme’, helping users feel confident and safe using online devices. To date, 21 families attended these sessions.

Since the beginning (2013), BPS has offered 176 roles to local apprentices across its construction sites and created 330 work experience placements, working closely with Wandsworth’s Business & Education Succeeding Together (BEST) initiative, and construction managers Mace and Sir Robert McAlpine. 25 apprentices joined the project in 2021 with many more to be created as the development continues.

Having a hugely positive impact on the area, it has unlocked 25,000 new jobs and the delivery of more than 20,000 new homes across Battersea and Nine Elms.

The Battersea Power Station Community Choir, fully funded by BPS, has over 90 active members, and celebrated its fifth birthday last year. The choir provided immense support to members throughout the pandemic, organising virtual rehearsals and continues to do so back in the rehearsal room now that the world has opened back up.