PETALING JAYA: Battersea Power Station in London, the United Kingdom, has been named as one of the 20 “Best Cultural Spots” around the globe for exciting, meaningful and one-of-a-kind travel experiences in National Geographic’s Best of the World 2024 series.
The annual Best of the World list is created, researched, reported and written in collaboration with National Geographic’s international editorial teams, who serve millions of readers through their magazines and websites around the world.
The only UK destination to feature on the culture list, Battersea Power Station, the iconic former coal-fired power station in central London, has been restored and transformed into a mixed-use destination by a Malaysian consortium comprising Permodalan Nasional Bhd, Sime Darby Property, SP Setia and the Employees Provident Fund
Opened in October 2022, nearly 40 years after it was decommissioned, over 11.2 million people visited Battersea Power Station in 2023 to explore the landmark’s unique historic interiors and enjoy more than 140 shops, restaurants, cafes and leisure experiences that are now open across the riverside neighbourhood.
Highlights include Lift 109, Battersea Power Station’s unique chimney lift experience, which ascended the building’s northwest chimney 21,500 times in 2023, offering visitors a spectacular 360-degree view of the London skyline.
Battersea Power Station is also home to 565,000 sq ft of office space, including Apple’s new 500,000 sq ft UK headquarters, and 254 apartments. The iconic landmark sits at the heart of a new 42-acre riverside neighbourhood, which after completion would have created over 4,000 new homes, 3.5 million sq ft of mixed commercial space, 19 acres of public realm and 20,000 jobs.
As part of the master plan, a new extension to the London Underground’s Northern Line opened in September 2021 providing Battersea Power Station with its own Zone 1 tube station bringing the neighbourhood within 15 minutes of the West End and the City.
Battersea Project Holding Company chairman Tan Sri Jagan Sabapathy said, “In restoring Battersea Power Station, our hope was always to create a world-class destination that brought this iconic landmark into public use for the first time in history, to be enjoyed by the local community, Londoners and visitors from around the globe. To have received recognition by National Geographic in their ‘Best of the World’ list, and to witness our vision become a reality, is a source of enormous pride for the shareholders and all who have been involved in delivering this special project.”
He added that they look forward to welcoming millions more visitors to Battersea Power Station in 2024 and beyond, as the neighbourhood continues to grow with new experiences, store openings and events for all to look forward to.
Looking further ahead into 2024, further retail, leisure, food and beverage brands will open at the riverside neighbourhood including Mexican restaurant, El Pastor, So.Shell Nail & Brow Bar, the latest luxury health club from Third Space, LIPS Pharmacy and LIPS Healthcare Clinic and Diagnostic Centre.
Battersea Power Station has also been announced as the official London fan zone for the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics, building on The Battersea Games which launched in summer 2023.
