Battersea Power Station is one of London's most ambitious regeneration projects: a mixed-use estate combining retail, dining, leisure, offices, and residential space within a Grade II* listed building. Millions of visitors pass through every year.
For the guest services team, accessibility isn't an afterthought. With a complex multi-level site, hundreds of retail and hospitality tenants, and a diverse visitor base, Battersea needed a systematic approach to barrier removal that could scale across the entire estate.
They chose WelcoMe.
What was the challenge?
Battersea Power Station's accessibility challenges are shaped by its unique nature as a large, complex, multi-use estate:
Scale and complexity. The site spans multiple levels, buildings, and tenant spaces. A visitor might move from outdoor public realm to indoor retail to a restaurant to an events space in a single visit. Each transition point is a potential barrier.
Diverse visitor base. Battersea welcomes tourists, local residents, office workers, event attendees, and shoppers. The disability profile of that visitor base is equally diverse: mobility, sensory, cognitive, energy-limiting, and mental health conditions.
Staff across multiple teams. Guest services, reception, security, retail tenants, and F&B operators all interact with visitors. Consistent disability awareness across all these teams is a significant coordination challenge.
Historic building constraints. Working within a Grade II* listed building means physical modifications are complex and sometimes impossible. Barrier removal has to focus on preparation, communication, and staff behaviour as much as physical changes.
What did Battersea do?
Battersea deployed WelcoMe across its guest-facing operations with three priorities:
Advance visitor preparation. Disabled visitors share their access requirements through WelcoMe Key before arriving. The guest services team receives actionable briefing information, allowing them to prepare the right assistance, allocate appropriate routes, and brief relevant teams before the visitor walks through the door.
Staff training across the estate. WelcoMe's training modules were deployed to front-of-house teams including reception, guest services, and security. Training covered practical barrier removal across all four barrier types: physical, communication, attitudinal, and environmental.
Feedback and continuous improvement. Visitors were encouraged to share their experiences, creating a loop of insight that informed ongoing service improvements.
What were the results?
Battersea reported clear improvements in visitor experience:
Prepared visits replaced reactive scrambles. With visitor requirements shared in advance, staff could plan rather than react. The right assistance was arranged before arrival, not improvised at the door.
Visitor confidence increased. Disabled visitors reported feeling more confident and empowered visiting the estate, knowing their requirements had been communicated and understood.
Personalised service at scale. Despite the complexity of the site, WelcoMe enabled individually tailored preparation for each disabled visitor, which contributed to high satisfaction ratings.
What visitors said
"The Team at Battersea Power Station could not do enough to help and make us feel special. They were the nicest, most helpful people I have ever met. Absolutely amazing service."
— Battersea Power Station visitor
"Excellent staff with helpful knowledge and so willing to help."
— Battersea Power Station visitor
What Battersea said
"Having WelcoMe in place here at Battersea Power Station is a game changer for both disabled people and for us as we can ensure every visit is planned for and informed. An accessible platform like WelcoMe champions our access services but also empowers everyone to explore, shop, and connect with confidence."
— Jean-Paul Hewlett, Head of Reception and Guest Services, Battersea Power Station
He added that WelcoMe helps position Battersea as a place where everyone can fully participate without barriers.
Why this matters for large retail and mixed-use estates
Battersea's experience highlights several principles for complex venues:
Preparation beats reaction. In a large estate where a visitor might interact with multiple teams across multiple spaces, having requirements shared in advance means every touchpoint is prepared, not just the first one.
Listed buildings need creative solutions. When physical modifications are limited, barrier removal shifts to preparation, communication, and staff behaviour. WelcoMe's approach works with the building rather than against it.
Multi-team coordination requires a system. Guest services, security, retail tenants, and F&B operators can't all be individually briefed via email or phone calls. A systematic platform ensures consistency across all teams.
Accessibility is a commercial differentiator. Battersea Power Station competes for visitors against other London destinations. Being genuinely prepared for disabled visitors, and their companions, friends, and families, is a competitive advantage.
"Having WelcoMe in place here at Battersea Power Station is a game changer for both disabled people and for us as we can ensure every visit is planned for and informed."
— Jean-Paul Hewlett, Head of Reception and Guest Services, Battersea Power Station
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