Another economic crisis, another call for Battersea Power Station to be demolished.
I grew up in Battersea, in south west London, as anyone that has ever heard my accent will testify. My formative years were spent in the shadow of Battersea Power Station so I have always taken a keen interest in this hideous monstrosity of a building.
When I first became a construction journalist, I was given the guided tour of the building on several occasions, each time by a new developer with ever-more grandiose plans for the hulking white elephant. Indeed, such is the power station’s track record of purchase, grand plan, no action that my former employer – the construction industry magazine Contract Journal – once ran a reader competition to decide the best possible use for what could be some prime riverside real estate. The winner, if memory serves me correctly, was to turn it into a walk-in wardrobe for Princess Diana…which just goes to show how long this saga has been running.
And yet quarter of a century later and still it stands decaying and disused, aside from irregular outdoor events and music concerts.
So when yet another developer calls for the power station to be pulled down, you will forgive us for showing little sign of excitement. We’ve been here before, multiple times, and yet the building remains like a giant upturned Ikea coffee table.
Yes, it did appear on the front of a Pink Floyd album (reason enough to tear it down in my humble opinion); yet, it was used as a key landmark by the German Luftwaffe during the Blitz on London; yes, it is crumbling; and yes, the work to take apart what is left of the building’s shell would provide some welcome new work for the UK demolition industry.
But, based on past experience, don’t hold your breath.
