Northern line extension to Battersea
The Northern line extension to Battersea is an extension of the London Underground from Kennington to Battersea in South West London, terminating at the redeveloped Battersea Power Station. The extension formed a continuation of the Northern line's Charing Cross branch and was built beginning in 2015; it opened in 2021.
Two new underground stations were built: Nine Elms and terminus Battersea Power Station. Both stations are in Travelcard Zone 1. Provision was made for a future extension to Clapham Junction. Since the closure of the Battersea Power Station in the 1980s, multiple attempts were made to redevelop the area. In the mid 2000s, Irish property developers proposed extending the Northern line to serve the power station site, to improve connectivity and spur development. After the financial crisis and the collapse of the Irish property bubblein the late 2000s, the Battersea Power Station site was bought by Malaysian investors, who subsequently contributed around £260m towards the construction of the Underground extension.
Construction took six years and cost £1.1 billion (under budget by £160 million) and the extension opened on 20 September 2021. It was the first major extension of the Underground since the Jubilee Line Extension in 1999. It was funded by the private sector, including the developers of Battersea Power Station, with contributions from other developments across the Vauxhall, Nine Elms and Battersea area. The construction of the extension was supported by local councils, property developers and local residents. However, the subsequent development in the Vauxhall, Nine Elms and Battersea areas has been criticised for low levels of affordable housing and gentrification.
Battersea Power Station was a coal-fired power station on the south bank of the River Thames in Nine Elms, Battersea. Built in two stages as a single building in the 1930s and 1950s, the power station closed in 1983. It is a Grade II* listed building, owing to its size, Art Deco interior fittings and decor, and design by architect Giles Gilbert Scott.[2]
The first major proposal to develop the site in the mid 1980s was for an indoor theme park, by the owners of Alton Towers.[3] The theme park proposal included the 'Battersea Bullet', a dedicated British Rail shuttle train from London Victoria station to the theme park.[3] Owing to the early 1990s recession, the project was cancelled.[4] There were various other proposals, including offices, a shopping centre and a new football stadium for Chelsea FC, as the site passed through several different owners. However, it remained undeveloped for over 30 years. The building was added to the Heritage at Risk Register in 1991, and the World Monuments Fund watch list in 2004.[4][5]
The Northern line was last extended into South London in 1926, as part of an extension to Morden station. In the 1980s, a southern extension of the Northern line to Peckham was proposed, as part of a review of potential extensions of Underground lines. The proposal was not implemented.[6]
