Battersea power station the landmark Grade II listed former power station on the south bank of the River Thames is being put up for sale with a global marketing campaign this week.
The power station, Europe’s largest brick building, is known around the world because of its appearances in the Beatles film Help! and Pink Floyd’s Animals album cover, where it was shown with an inflatable pink pig floating above it. It stopped operating in 1983 and has been left empty for almost 30 years as successive developers have failed to make a success of redeveloping the site. I toured it 20 years ago and it is an extraordinary building, vast inside, with beautiful 1930′s-style control rooms with beautiful tiles and bakelite controls.
Now the power station is being marketed as “The Last Major Regeneration Site in Central London”. The site has planning permission for a £5 billion development of homes, offices, hotel, retail and leisure facilities.
Stephan Miles-Brown, Head of Residential Development, Knight Frank, says: “This is the first time Battersea Power Station (BPS) has ever been offered for sale on the open market. As one of the UK’s most recognisable landmarks, Knight Frank anticipates considerable interest in a scheme that is among the most exciting in the world today. BPS is as iconic as the Chrysler Building in New York or the Eiffel Tower and familiar to people who may have never even been to London.”
The power station is located within the Vauxhall, Nine Elms, Battersea Opportunity Area – the largest regeneration zone in central London. The scheme approved by Wandsworth Council proposes the full restoration of the power station at an estimated cost of £150 million, plus a £200 million contribution towards the Northern Line Extension from Kennington via Nine Elms that would connect the power station to the Tube network.
Knight Frank say they hope to sell it by the autumn. They have not given any pricing guidelines.
If you think you might be interested, here are the people to contact: Knight Frank site
