Thames riverbank at Battersea Power Station opens to the public

The one-acre space forms a new piazza directly in front of Circus West Village, the first phase of Battersea Power Station.

The piazza can be accessed through a new route under Grosvenor Railway Bridge and will come alive later in the year when 23 restaurants, bars, cafés and retailers open for business.

For generations this area has been in industrial use and out of bounds to the general public.

Rob Tincknell, CEO of Battersea Power Station Development Company, said: “We are delighted that we are able to open new public spaces for London and are starting to bring the Power Station and its surrounds back into London life. This new stretch of the Thames that is opening has always been off limits.

“When Circus West Village’s exciting mix of independent retailers, restaurants and cafés begin to trade this summer, the riverbank will be brought alive and become a new riverfront neighbourhood for London.”

Cllr Ravi Govindia, leader of Wandsworth Council and co-chair of the Nine Elms Vauxhall Partnership, said: “The Thames riverside is a unique asset for Londoners and we’re delighted that yet another part of this riverside in front of the majestic Power Station is open to the public for the first time.”

In the coming years more and more of the riverside between Battersea Park and Vauxhall is being revived and opened up to the public as the Nine Elms regeneration programme continues. The first spaces have already been completed at Riverlight and Riverside Gardens, and work is now underway on the stretch between Heathwall Pumping Station and Vauxhall which will re-open by the summer. 

Find out more about Nine Elms at http://nineelmslondon.com/