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BATTERSEA BRINGS BIG BUSINESS FOR DRINKS

Published:  23 July, 2008

By Jack Hibberd

The developers behind the transformation of the Battersea Power Station in London are looking for on-trade and off-trade alcohol retailers to take space in the new leisure and retail complex, claiming it represents an enormous opportunity for the sector. According to Ian Rumgay, corporate communications director for developers Parkview International, the complex will have many, many possible sites for restaurants and bars and hundreds of retail units, as well as two hotels and 700 one- and two-bed apartments. One of the conditions of the planning consent was that we don't have a supermarket on site, nor a white goods store, so we are looking for an eclectic mix of shops. One wing of the building, Turbine Hall A, has a fully listed interior of black and white marble which we are looking to fill with premium retailers along the lines of London's Bond Street. The second hall, Turbine Hall B, was built 20 years later and does not have a listed interior. The idea here is to create a more cutting edge district, something like Hoxton or Soho.' Possible on-trade sites include London's largest terrace, the Directors' Control Room (a marble-lined hall complete with dials, valves and other original features) and a dining room at the top of one of the building's four famous chimneys. Other buildings in the planned complex include a 2,000-seat underground auditorium, an office complex with 51,000 square metres of space and a banqueting hall with seating for 3,000 people (twice the capacity of London's current largest banqueting complex). The central hall of the power station will be kept for large events and exhibitions. The project to convert the site, which is expected to cost 1.1 billion and attract 15,000 visitors a day, is scheduled to be completed by 2008. We have already discussed hosting London Fashion Week and the BAFTA Awards ceremony, and are also in discussion with a number of retail companies,' added Rumgay. The developers also plan to build a pedestrian bridge over the River Thames, to upgrade the local rail station and to establish a river-taxi connection. For letting enquiries contact Tracey Mills at Davis Coffer Lyons on 020 7299 0744.

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