Radical vision for Battersea

A 980ft glass chimney that will ventilate 2.5m sq ft of office space will be revealed today as part of a £4bn plan to transform one of London's most notorious white elephants.  

The extraordinary funnel-shaped structure is the most radical element in Treasury Holding's vision for a futuristic regeneration of the Battersea Power Station site in south London that would create 8m sq ft of space - more than double the density of failed plans put forward by its previous owner.  

The Irish developer is also talking to Transport for London about a £350m extension to the Northern Line from Kennington to the site.   

Treasury, which owns the site through London-listed Real Estate Opportunities, said the Raphael Viñoly-designed scheme would be carbon neutral and would go much further than "bolting on green gadgets".  

It features an eco-dome with a hollow tower that will incorporate hundreds of flats and provide natural ventilation to over 2m sq ft of office space through convection.   

The project will incorporate an onsite biofuel power station that will supply the site and pump out clean water vapour through two of the original power station's iconic chimneys.  

The power station itself will be turned into a mixed-use complex featuring shops, flats, a hotel and energy museum.  

REO's 8m sq ft project will comprise 3m sq ft of housing, 2.5m sq ft of office space, 900,000 sq ft of retail and 1.5m sq ft of leisure-led uses. There will also be a 6-acre park.  

Plans will be submitted to Wandsworth council by early 2009 and REO expects a public inquiry. 

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