Battersea Power Station developer relocates affordable homes

The developers behind Battersea Power Station have made changes to the masterplan which will see a swathe of affordable homes at the development moved to a new site further away from the main scheme.

Patel Taylor Architects and Battersea Power Station Development Company (BPSDC) have submitted plans for a new phase of the scheme, titled Phase 4a, which will involve 374 affordable homes built at a new site.

According to a summary of the proposals the change is due to two ‘significant’ infrastructure projects, the Thames Tideway Tunnel (TTT) and the Northern Line Extension, which is being built to accommodate the extra population in and around the development.

The summary says that “the two sites originally identified to accommodate affordable housing are subject to the TTT (Phase 5) and the NLE (Phase 4). As a result, delivery on these sites is not within the Applicant’s control and is at risk of delay.

“The application has consequently sought an alternative strategy to enable the accelerated delivery of part of the consented affordable housing.”

If approved the current industrial estate would be demolished to make way for seven buildings up to 18 storeys high, which will overlook the main railway line into Waterloo station.

Phase 4a, the application says, will allow the affordable homes to be built three years earlier than originally planned with the first homes targeted for delivery in 2019 instead of 2022, which the application states would be “the earliest delivery date under the Masterplan Consented Scheme”. It will also allow for a 17,000 sq ft public health centre to be delivered over five years earlier 2019.

The new plan will also add an additional 64 affordable homes on top of the affordable housing provision stipulated in the original masterplan consent.

Rob Tincknell, chief executive of BPSDC, said: “The Patel Taylor and JTP designs for the next mixed-use phase at Battersea Power Station are incredibly exciting. They will allow us to deliver, on the behalf of our shareholders, a total of 581 affordable homes. Many of the Phase 4A homes will be ready for occupation three years earlier than planned and to an outstanding quality through this modern take on London’s classic mansion blocks.

“We are also proposing a vibrant mix of uses for the next phase of Battersea Power Station by creating flexible space for local entrepreneurs who are looking for a quality environment to start-up in and trade from, by bringing forward the early delivery of a much needed medical centre by some five and half years and by installing new public gardens and play space for everyone to enjoy.”