Battersea Power Station finally off Historic England at-risk list

Battersea Power Station has been removed from this year’s Heritage at Risk Register after three decades on the list.

The iconic Art Deco building, which dates back to 1929, once supplied a fifth of the capital's electricity but was decommissioned in 1983 and stood vacant for 30 years.

Now a revamped retail, leisure and dining destination, alongside housing and office space, it joins 31 other London sites removed from the annual register.

As one of the largest brick buildings ever built, more than 25,000 wheelbarrows of concrete were hand-poured during the restoration, while 1.75 million bricks were ordered from Gloucestershire and Shropshire, to match the originals.

Simon Murphy, chief executive officer at the Battersea Power Station Development Company, said he was “delighted” that “several years of careful and complex restoration” had resulted in the site’s removal from the register.

Streatham Hill Theatre is among 18 deteriorating London sites that have been added to the list, along with Beckenham Place Mansion and a cricket pavilion in Leyton.

Emily Gee, Regional Director at Historic England, said: "The 32 sites saved this year in London show what’s possible with strong partnerships, dedicated individuals and funding support. But there is always more to do to give our cherished historic places the attention, investment and secure future they deserve."

Across England, 233 sites have been been saved from neglect, decay or inappropriate development and taken off the register, while 130 venues in need of repair have been added to the list.

There are now 4,985 sites on the register – which is 112 fewer than in 2020, Historic England said.

Historic England said that among the places at risk across England are:

• 1,459 buildings or structures

• 2,001 non-structural archaeological locations

• 923 places of worship

• 104 parks and gardens

• 491 conservation areas

• 3 battlefields

• 4 protected wreck sites