Lots Road redevelopment to go ahead
Stephen Ball investigates as work starts on the Chelsea waterfront
Lots Road power station, on the Chelsea waterfront, is to join the likes of Battersea and Bankside as it undergoes redevelopment. The project will add 706 homes and two tower blocks to the site close to the Thames.
The project had recently been put on hold due to the General Election and fears of a property tax promised by Labour. However, with the Conservatives in power, the project is now underway with a completion date in 2019 – although the first homes are due to go on sale in the next few weeks.
The power station itself will be home to a mix of apartments, shops and restaurants with its two remaining chimneys remaining in place. The towers are 25 and 37 floors and the site will also feature a further seven buildings with three new pedestrian bridges, a water garden and 600m of Thames-side footpath.
The redevelopment was designed by Sir Terry Farrell, responsible for designing the iconic MI5 headquarters, and he has said that the projection is not just about providing property to the very rich or for young people who are renting: nearly 40 per cent of homes are to be sold below their current market value of which nearly half being four bedroom flats going for up to £400 a week.
The redevelopment will be making use of the eight acres of land at the Lots Road site including the previously inaccessible Thames towpath. The area previously suffered from a lack of transport links, but the opening of Imperial Wharf Tube in 2009 has caused a number of development projects to started in the vicinity.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said at the ground-breaking ceremony that: “The towering Lots Road power station is a magnificent reminder of our Victorian heritage. Originally built to help power London’s Underground over 100 years ago, it is now helping to provide the new homes and jobs necessary to secure this city’s future prosperity.”
The Power Station has had a long history. It was the longest serving power station in the world when it closed in 2002. The original four chimneys each 275ft (84m) tall were the tallest in Europe when they were built in 1904. However only two currently remain standing.
