The station is one of the world's largest brick buildings and notable for its original, Art Deco interior fittings and decor.

[1][2] The station is one of the world's largest brick buildings,[3] and notable for its original, lavish Art Deco interior fittings and decor.

[9][10][11] The combination of an existing debt burden of £750 million, the need to make a £200 million contribution to an extension to the London Underground, requirements to fund conservation of the derelict power station shell, and the presence of a waste transfer station and cement plant on the river frontage made commercial development of the site a significant challenge.

[15] The site was chosen for its proximity to the River Thames for cooling water and coal delivery, and because it was in the heart of London, the station's immediate supply area.

[14] The pollution issue was resolved by granting permission for the station on the condition that its emissions were to be treated, to ensure they were "clean and smokeless".

Until the construction of the B Station, the eastern wall of the boiler house was clad in corrugated metal sheeting as a temporary enclosure.

[22] Battersea is one of a very small number of examples of this style of power station design still in existence in the UK, others being Uskmouth and Bankside.

[23] The station's design proved popular straightaway, and was described as a "temple of power", which ranked equal with St Paul's Cathedral as a London landmark.

[15] Owing to a lack of available money following the Second World War, the interior of the B Station was not given the same treatment, and instead the fittings were made from stainless steel.

This makes a single main building which is of steel frame construction with brick cladding, similar to the skyscrapers built in the United States around the same time.

[27] The power station consumed over 1,000,000 tonnes of coal annually, mostly from pits in South Wales and North East England, delivered by coastal colliers.

As a result, the station was declared a heritage site in 1980, when the Secretary of State for the Environment, Michael Heseltine, awarded the building Grade II listed status.

[34] British Rail planned to procure three electric multiple unit trains, designated "Class 447", to run a shuttle service from London Victoria station to the theme park.

[39] The Battersea Power Station Community Group campaigned against the Parkview plan and argued for an alternative community-based scheme to be drawn up.

The group described the plans as "a deeply unattractive project that has no affordable housing anywhere on the 38-acre (150,000 m2) site, no decent jobs for local people and no credible public transport strategy".

However, the Twentieth Century Society, the World Monuments Fund and the Battersea Power Station Company commissioned an alternative engineers' report that concluded that the existing chimneys could be repaired.

[7][43] REO subsequently announced that the previous plan by Parkview had been dropped and that it had appointed the practice of the Uruguayan-born architect Rafael Viñoly of New York as the new master planner for the site.

[5] The centrepiece of this masterplan was a 980-foot-high "eco tower" that dwarfed the power station and was described by London's then mayor Boris Johnson as an "inverted toilet-roll holder".

Jersey law firms, Ogier, Carey Olsen and Mourant Oxannes helped REO to raise funds for the new Battersea Power Station redevelopment.

[48] Reuters reported in September 2011 that lenders would allow more time for a new equity partner to be found:[49] Lenders to the owner of Battersea Power Station in London waived a debt maturity deadline yesterday while talks with potential new equity partners for its redevelopment continued, a source close to the process told Reuters.

[50] In February 2012, Sir Terry Farrell's architectural firm put forward a proposal to convert the power station site into an "urban park" with an option to develop housing at a later date.

In this vision, Farrell proposed to demolish all but the central boiler hall and chimneys and display the switching equipment from the control rooms in 'pods'.

[52][53] Following the failure of the REO bid to develop the site, in February 2012, the power station was put up for sale on the open market for the first time in its history.

In May 2012, several bids were received for the landmark site, which was put on the market after Nama and Lloyds Banking Group called in loans held by Treasury Holdings' Real Estate Opportunities (REO).

[59] The redevelopment hoped to bring about the extension of the existing riverside walk and facilitate access directly from the power station to Battersea Park and Chelsea Bridge.

[66] Work commenced in 2013 and plans included the restoration of the art deco structure internally and externally, reconstruction of the chimneys, and refurbishment of the historic cranes and jetty as a new river taxi stop.

[69] Retail brands inside the power station include BOSS, Jo Malone London, Uniqlo, Mac Cosmetics, Space NK, Watches of Switzerland and many more.

[73] In October 2013, Frank Gehry was appointed joint architect with Foster + Partners to design "Phase 3" of the scheme, which will provide "the gateway to the entire development and the new Northern line extension".

[87] The station gained exposure in the cover photograph of Pink Floyd's 1977 album, Animals, which sold millions of copies worldwide.

It was tethered to one of the power station's southern chimneys, but broke loose from its moorings and drifted into the flight path of Heathrow Airport.