Battersea Power Station announced on 1 September that it will finally open its doors to the public for the first time in its history on Friday 14 October 2022.
The iconic structure, which has been undergoing extensive renovation in recent years to turn it into a new retail, office, residential and foodie destination, sits on the banks of the River Thames and is one of London’s most photographed landmarks.
As well as the power station opening its doors, Electric Boulevard, a new pedestrianised high street, which runs from the south of the Power Station, between Frank Gehry’s Prospect Place and Foster + Partners’ Battersea Roof Gardens to the new Battersea Power Station Zone 1 Underground station, will also open on the same day.
The opening date was officially announced in front of the power station by a group of newspaper boys and girls dressed in 1930s attire, a nod to when the building first began generating electricity back in 1933. In addition, the group helped spread the news to the capital throughout the day by handing out a limited-edition newspaper, the ‘Power Station Post’. Much like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, 10 golden tickets were hidden within the newspapers. If found, the golden ticket holder will be amongst the first to walk into the Grade II listed building when it opens its doors.
Keeping with the Roald Dahl theme, the ticket holder will also win two tickets to LIFT 109, a glass elevator experience which transports visitors 109 metres up to the top of the building’s north-west chimney, providing panoramic views of the city’s skyline.
Once supplying a fifth of London’s electricity at its peak, Battersea Power Station was decommissioned in 1983 and left derelict and without use for a number of years, becoming better known for its starring role in films and on the cover of albums and its impressive chimneyed structure than anything it produced.
Following its decommissioning, a number of failed attempts were made to redevelop the site, including proposals for a theme park, a football stadium, a giant shopping centre and a chimney-top restaurant. None of these came to anything.
Irish firm Real Estate Opportunities (REO) then had plans to transform the site for public use and new homes, but these were thwarted by the global financial crisis of 2007-8. The site was put up for sale again in 2011 but remained a risky investment thanks to a large amount of existing debt and the obligation to make a contribution to the planned Northern Line extension.
Since 2012, the building has been under the custodianship of the current shareholders, Sime Darby Property, S P Setia and the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF). Over the last decade, the Grade II listed building has been painstakingly restored to its former glory. PNB and EPF became the long-term commercial asset holders in 2019.
Now, nearly 40 years after Battersea Power Station’s lights were turned off for the final time, this former titan of industry is back with plans to become one of the capital’s most exciting leisure and retail destinations.
The Power Station’s two newly restored, historic Turbine Halls will be home to the building’s retail offering, where shoppers will discover a range of British and international brands.
The building is also aiming to appeal to London’s growing foodie population, with the Boiler House at the heart of the building playing host to the recently announced 24,000 sq. ft Arcade Food Hall from JKS Restaurants, which will open next year.
A huge number of other food and beverage venues will also be calling Battersea Power Station home, including Le Bab, Where The Pancakes Are, Poke House, Clean Kitchen Club, Gordon Ramsay’s Bread Street Kitchen & Bar and Paris Baguette.
These will join the mix of bars and restaurants that opened as part of the first phase of Battersea Power Station’s regeneration, in Circus West Village. The Power Station is also aiming to become a major entertainment and leisure venue, perhaps in an attempt to mimic the success of the O2 Arena.
The area’s new high street, Electric Boulevard, also offers a mix of bars and restaurants, as well as office space, shops, a park, a community hub and a new 164-room hotel from art’otel, the brand’s first in the UK. The likes of ZARA, a new-concept M&S Foodhall and a 28,000 sq. ft club from London fitness brand, Third Space, will also be opening on this street.
In total, more than 2,500 new jobs are set to be created once the doors to the Power Station open, with around 17,000 jobs once the whole 42-acre project has reached its conclusion.
The Northern Line extension to Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station, which opened earlier this year, also provides the riverside neighbourhood with its own Zone 1 London Underground Station and makes a previously difficult location to access much easier.
