A corner of the Battersea Power Station site will be completely transformed after permission was granted for huge glass buildings and a new high street.

Wandsworth Times:

17-storey wave-shaped building designed by Foster and Partners 

Wandsworth Council approved plans to develop the south-west corner of the site on Thursday, October 16.

A new pedestrian high street, called Electric Boulevard, will form the main gateway to the site from the south and will run from Battersea Park Road to the iconic power station.

It will also include entrances to the new Northern Line Tube station below. There will be a new pedestrian subway under Battersea Park Road, linking Stewards Road with the new power station development and providing another route into the Tube station.

A total of 1,305 homes would be built in this phase, including 103 available for Wandsworth residents on low and middle incomes to rent at a reduced rate.

Electric Boulevard will feature a 17-storey wave-shaped building designed by Foster and Partners and a creation by architect Frank Gehry which includes five buildings of 16 and 17 storeys.

These include the flower building which sits at the heart of the cluster. There will be a new park called Prospect Park, including a children’s play ground and a community hub in the form of a glass cube. However, the development has not been popular with everyone with residents posting on social networking sites to express their views.

One person said: "It looks cold and soulless. Ultra modern buildings generally end up looking scruffy and dirty after just a couple of years. That's exactly how this will be. Where is the character in these buildings?"

Another said: "Better this than the derelict and disused land which has surrounded the old ladies for the past umpteen years. It is about time something was done."

The target date for completion of phase three is 2020, which is when Transport for London expects the Northern Line extension to be up and running.

Wandsworth Times:

Frank Gehry's creation called 'The Flower'

Wandsworth Council’s planning committee chairman, Councillor Sarah McDermott, said: "This is quite unlike any of the shopping and leisure destinations we’ve seen built around London in recent times. Battersea Power Station will be a unique place and we look forward to this seeing these exciting plans become a reality."

Battersea Power Station is one of about 30 development sites in Nine Elms. Across the entire regeneration area about 18,000 homes are being built alongside businesses estimated to support 25,000 jobs.