Battersea Power Station Development Company (BPSDC) and Sisk have broken ground on Prospect Place South, the next stage of the 42-acre riverside neighbourhood at Battersea Power Station.

A ceremony marked the start of construction, attended by Marsha de Cordova, Labour MP for Battersea; Councillor Robert Morritt, Leader of Wandsworth Council; Karen Gleaves, Employer Engagement Manager – Construction at Wandsworth Work Match; Tan Sri Shahril Ridza Ridzuan, Chairman of Battersea Project Holding Company; James Saunders, CEO at BPSDC; and Ger Hayes, Managing Director at Sisk. Representatives of S P Setia, Sime Darby Property, Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) and the Employee Provident Fund (EPF) — the Malaysian consortium that acquired the site in 2012 — were also present.

Designed by Gehry Partners, Prospect Place South comprises two buildings, Rosewood House and Hayworth House, which will complete Electric Boulevard, the pedestrianised high street. The scheme will deliver approximately 300 new homes, 65,000 sq ft of retail and hospitality space, a 15,000 sq ft Community Hub, and an enlarged cycle hub with 600 free spaces.

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Sisk, as main contractor, will work with BPSDC and the wider team to deliver the Gehry-designed buildings as an extension of the distinctive Prospect Place architecture — still the only residential buildings in the UK designed by Frank Gehry. A continued emphasis on sustainability will see a modernised aesthetic to reduce the carbon footprint, with green roofs on both buildings supporting a minimum 10% biodiversity net gain.

Construction of Prospect Place South is expected to create 400 jobs, with a target for 20% of roles to be filled by local people — a benchmark already exceeded across the 7,500 jobs generated to date at Battersea Power Station. Practical completion is anticipated in 2030.

With around half of the overall regeneration now complete, strategic urban design planner Studio Egret West has been appointed to evolve Rafael Viñoly’s original masterplan to reflect changing lifestyle, leisure and workplace needs. A revised masterplan for the remaining 16 acres will be submitted this month, setting out potential for up to 3.2 million sq ft of residential, commercial, cultural and leisure space. The neighbourhood already includes more than 2,200 homes, around 800,000 sq ft of offices, and over 170 shops, bars, restaurants and leisure venues.

Paul Brown, CEO at Sisk said: "We are proud to be working alongside the Battersea Power Station team to bring forward Prospect Place South, which will deliver more than 300 new homes and two landmark buildings designed by Gehry Partners. This project reflects the strength and commitment of our supply chain partners and our capability to deliver large residential projects in London. We look forward to creating a lasting legacy in the local community in Wandsworth and south west London."