Immortalised on the cover of Pink Floyd’s 1977 Animals album, the Battersea Power station has now stood empty for 30 years.
Despite interest from diverse parties, it seems that no developer can afford to restore the sombre brick building to its former glory.
At one point, Chelsea Football Club appeared to be seriously considering moving its grounds into the power station. More recently, an Irish company was discussing plans to turn the building into offices, shops and leisure facilities.
Although the building is viewed as an important part of London’s industrial past by many, other Londoners are less sentimental.
“Knock it down!” Stephen Bayley, one of the founders of the Design Museum, which once considered moving into the decommissioned power station, told AFP.
“I live close by and, of course, I enjoy Battersea Power Station’s strange, melancholy presence. But cities have to evolve and change, otherwise they are dead.
“The brutal fact is no-one can afford to restore Battersea Power Station. It is one of the biggest brick structures in the world and is in terrible condition: every joint needs to be re-pointed.”
Paddy Pugh, of English Heritage, disagrees, telling AFP: “Battersea Power Station is such a powerful architectural symbol in London that it’s almost inconceivable that it would be demolished.”
What do you think? Should London treasure its old buildings or are we too sentimental about bricks and mortar?
