Ambitious plans for Battersea

Hotels, theatres, a media centre, exhibition areas and housing are among features to be proposed this month for the 12.2ha site surrounding London’s Battersea Power Station, as part of a 500m development programme.

Planning permission to turn the power station into a giant entertainment and leisure complex has already been granted. Redevelopment of the disused building has been hampered by funding problems suffered by previous owners since the mid-1980s.

The current freehold owner of the site, developer Parkview International, has unveiled plans for further development in the area. The company intends to submit an outline planning permission request, based on a master plan created by Arup Associates, to Wandsworth Council during December.

The plans include major post-production facilities for the film and television industry; residential blocks; and permanent exhibition pavilions. Two hotels and two theatres are also planned.

A new transport system, including a direct private rail link to Victoria rail station and a dedicated riverboat service, would be created to service the development if planning permission is granted.

Arup Associates is due to complete its masterplan next week, says director Mike Lowe. Other divisions of Arup, including Arup Environmental & Planning and Arup Transportation, are also carrying out studies related to the Battersea development.

Lowe says that Parkview plans to appoint a UK architect, possibly working with a US consultant, to create the interiors of the power station. Interiors and graphics for the developments have not yet been addressed, he says.

A spokesman for Parkview confirmed design decisions will not be made at this stage. “The first stage is to get planning permission for the whole site,” he says.