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Battersea Power Station: Councillors refuse to attend opening

Reuters Battersea Power StationReuters
The coal-fired power station was decommissioned in 1983 - at its peak, it generated a fifth of the capital's electricity

Councillors say they will not turn up to the opening of Battersea Power Station after its £9bn redevelopment.

The Grade II-listed building in Nine Elms, Wandsworth, boasts thousands of homes as well as shops and bars. It will open to the public on 14 October.

Labour councillors say they are staying away because of the project's low level of social housing.

Following May's local elections, Labour took control of Wandsworth Council for the first time in 44 years.

'Wouldn't be right'

Wandsworth Council said it had made it clear that neither the new administration nor senior council officers would "accept hospitality from property developers", the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) reported.

A council spokesperson said: "There are currently numerous live planning applications from Battersea Power Station that are still to be determined so it wouldn't be right to accept this hospitality.

"In Wandsworth, the council is focused on building 1,000 new council homes for local people and their families."

A Battersea Power Station Development Company spokesperson said the project had created "a new town centre for the borough of Wandsworth".