Battersea Power Station Development Company (BPSDC) and Sisk have broken ground today on Prospect Place South, the next phase of development for the 42-acre riverside neighbourhood.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held to mark the start of construction. Attendees included Marsha de Cordova, Labour MP for Battersea; Councillor Robert Morritt, Leader of Wandsworth Council; Karen Gleaves, Employer Engagement Manager – Construction at Wandsworth Work Match; Tan Sri Shahril Ridza Ridzuan, Chairman of Battersea Project Holding Company; James Saunders, CEO at BPSDC; and Ger Hayes, Managing Director at at Sisk. Representatives from S P Setia, Sime Darby Property, Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) and the Employee Provident Fund (EPF), the Malaysian consortium that purchased the Battersea Power Station site in 2012, were also in attendance.
Designed by Gehry Partners, Prospect Place South will comprise two buildings, Rosewood House and Hayworth House, which complete the riverside neighbourhood’s pedestrianised high street, Electric Boulevard. The buildings will deliver approximately 300 new homes, 65,000 sq ft of new commercial space for shops, cafes and restaurants, a 15,000 sq ft Community Hub, and an expanded bike hub providing 600 spaces free of charge.
As main contractor, Sisk will lead the construction of the development, working alongside BPSDC and the wider project team to deliver the Gehry designed buildings, which form an extension to the highly recognisable existing buildings at Prospect Place, and remain the only residential buildings in the UK designed by Frank Gehry, the world-famous architect and designer of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. The ongoing focus on sustainability means Prospect Place South has a more modern aesthetic to reduce the carbon footprint, while green roofs will also be present on both buildings, contributing to a minimum 10% biodiversity net gain.
The construction of Prospect Place South is expected to create 400 jobs, with an aim for 20% of the workforce to be from the local area; a target which has been exceeded across the 7,500 jobs which have already been created at Battersea Power Station.
Construction is expected to complete in 2030.
Marsha de Cordova, Labour MP for Battersea said:
“Today’s groundbreaking at Prospect Place South is an exciting moment for Battersea Power Station. I welcome the creation of hundreds of new jobs for local people, helping to drive growth, create opportunities and strengthen our local economy. This is another important step in making Battersea the best place to live, work and visit.”
