Battersea Power Station footfall tops estimates as Londoners flock to £9 billion development

More than 11 million people have visited Battersea Power Station in its first year since formally opening to the public, according to new figures today.

That is around 10% more than the 10 million forecast by its Malaysian backed owners Battersea Power Station Development Company (BPSDC).

The Grade II* listed former generator opened its doors on 14 October last year after a huge and complex restoration that forms the centrepiece of a £9 billion riverside regeneration with about £5 billion invested so far.

More 6,000 workers are now based there with Apple relocating its London workers to a huge six floor headquarters earlier this year - and visited by CEO Tim Cook last week - while other brands also occupying new office space include, SharkNinja and IWG.

Chief executive Simon Murphy said: ”We hoped to get to 10 million on an optimistic scenario, so to be 10% ahead of that is really pleasing. People are turning up and engaging and we think about 20% of them are from Wandsworth. Significantly about 80% are from the UK. It is a place for people in London first and foremost, it is not really designed to major tourist destination, it is designed to be a place for Londoners to enjoy.”

The power station hosted the fan zone for the NFL game between the Buffalo Bills and the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday attracted 62,000 people, almost as many as those who attended the match itself at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in north London. The power station will also be London’s only official fan zone for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.

So far about 1600 homes have been completed of which about 97% have been sold.

The chimney lift experience, Lift 109, which opened in November 2022,  has since ascended the building’s north west chimney nearly 20,000 times, travelling more than 1,200 miles.

Entries and exits to Battersea Power Station Underground Station have more than doubled year-on-year, exceeding 8 million taps in and out over the past 12 months. Meanwhile, passenger embarkations for the Uber Boat by Thames Clippers river bus service have increased by 70% year-on-year, and disembarkations have grown by 85% year-on-year, with  over 605,000 passengers in the past 12 months.