Mayor approves Battersea plans

The redevelopment of Battersea Power Station moved a step closer yesterday after years of setbacks and frustration, as London Mayor Boris Johnson gave the plan his blessing.

The iconic building, which featured on the cover of the Pink Floyd album Animals and has stood vacant since 1983, will be restored and the London Underground's Northern Line will be extended nearby. This forms part of a wider strategy to redevelop the Nine Elms area.

English Heritage has described the power station as in a "very bad" state and was put on the list of 100 most endangered sites by the World Monuments Fund. Previous plans to have failed include turning it into a theme park, a concert venue, a football ground and a retail park.