Historic UK power station now a residential development

The main Battersea Power Station structure in London, UK, is to officially open to the public this weekend, after being transformed into a new residential neighbourhood, as part of a £9 billion (€10.4 billion) redevelopment programme.

An artist's impression of the new-look Battersea Power Station in London, UK

The historic building, which itself has a footprint measuring 2.4 hectares and is situated on the banks of the River Thames on a 17 hectare former industrial site, began generating electricity in 1933 and ceased its power operations in 1975.

Almost 40 years after its closure, and a raft of failed plans to redevelop the site, it will open to the public on Friday 14 October, with a special weekend ‘Festival of Power’.

The red-brick power station structure now boasts over 250 residential studio and apartment units situated above 110 retail shops, bars, restaurants and leisure venues.

While most of these are expected to be open when the public are welcomed to the power station building this coming Friday, the redevelopment project covers the entirety of the plant’s 17-hectare site.

At its peak, Battersea Power Station generated a fifth of the capital city’s electricity supply and, after its 1975 closure, the building was finally decommissioned in 1983.

Now the Power Station’s two control rooms, which used to manage power distribution to key areas of London – including Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament – have been fully restored, with one set to become an events space and the second to house an all-day bar concept.

The Electric Boulevard high street, which will also open on 14 October, offers a mix of bars and restaurants, office space, shops, a park, a community hub and a new 164 room hotel.

Simon Murphy, CEO at Battersea Power Station Development Company (BPSDC), said, “It has taken a lot of hard work, determination, and the continued commitment of the Malaysian Shareholders over the past ten years to bring Battersea Power Station back to its former glory.”