Out-Law News 1 min. read
04 Oct 2012, 4:04 pm
National Grid is planning to remove four gas holders in Princess Drive, Battersea, and to clean up the land to free it up for redevelopment. The company will then work with a development partner to build homes, shops, offices, leisure facilities and new public spaces to connect neighbouring communities to Nine Elms. Separate consultations will be held for those plans.
“We no longer need the holders to supply gas to the local community," said National Grid's Keith Johnston. "Demolishing them and cleaning up the site will unlock its redevelopment potential and enable it to play a crucial role in the Nine Elms regeneration which is breathing fresh life into the area.”
"Nine Elms has started to transform on an enormous scale," said Wandsworth Council leader Ravi Govindia. "The area's vast industrial sites are making way for new homes, businesses and a range of new public spaces the whole community can enjoy. It will open up a brand new part of central London and create thousands of job opportunities for local people.”
"The gasholders occupy an important site between the established communities of south Battersea and the new town centre planned around the power station. It's very exciting to see this project moving forward and I urge local people to attend the drop in sessions to find out more about the proposals," he said.
The gasholders were originally built to store town gas made from coal at a local gasworks, located mostly on what is now New Covent Garden Market and a former Royal Mail depot. With the discovery of North Sea Gas, the gasworks became redundant and closed in 1970, however the gasholders were used to store natural gas for some time.
The Nine Elms regeneration area covers 195 hectares of land between Battersea Park and Lambeth Bridge on the south bank of the Thames. It is the biggest redevelopment zone in central London and will provide 16,000 new homes, 25,000 new jobs, new schools, parks, culture and arts facilities.
The consultation events will be held on 10 and 11 October. If the demolition plans are approved, work on the site is expected to start in the spring next year.
