Scheme was shut for more than a month

Battersea Power Station is set to ramp up the number of workers on site in the coming weeks as the £9bn project begins a second week of remobilisation after being shut for six weeks.

London’s biggest single construction site was closed on 24 March – the day after prime minister Boris Johnson put the country into lockdown.

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Mace is working on the second phase of the redevelopment

But last week construction managers Mace and Sir Robert McAlpine began the process of remobilising the job with a couple of hundred workers each on a project that before the coronavirus crisis escalated had more than 4,000 working on it.

And the number of workers clocking on today will rise further as Battersea Power Station Development Company said the restart would be carried out incrementally.

A spokesperson added: “We have worked hard to test and develop new site procedures that fully incorporate these new [site operating proceedure] recommendations in order to allow a gradual and phased restart of construction on site whilst ensuring the required social distancing protocols are strictly enforced.”

Mace is carrying out work on the second phase of the scheme, estimated to be worth £1.15bn, and which involves work on the main grade II* listed power station itself. It will include retail and food space as well as an events venue and park and had around 2,800 workers on it before the site was shut.

This phase, designed by lead architect Wilkinson Eyre, along with heritage advisor Purcell, is due to be finished by the end of this year.

Sir Robert McAlpine is carrying out work on phase three of the scheme which includes building more than 1,300 apartments designed by Foster + Partners and US practice Gehry Partners. This phase, estimated to be worth around £1bn, will also include a hotel, retail and restaurants and would normally have around 1,500 workers on it.

The first phase of the scheme, called Circus West and worth an original £400m, was completed by Carillion at the end of 2017 – shortly before it went bust.

It includes 865 flats designed by Manchester architect SimpsonHaugh and 2017 Stirling prize-winner dRMM.

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