Two Batterseas, and only one of them is new
People correcting each other on r/london make the same point every time: the towers are one small corner and the rest is traditional terraced London around the park. The other running joke is naming. Residents of Northcote Road say Clapham when they are in SW11, some Clapham residents say Battersea because Clapham sounds basic, and at least one person reportedly claimed Chelsea.
“The only part of Battersea “ Dubai like” is the power station the rest is very traditional London vibe”on r/MovingToLondon, Apr 2026
Nine Elms was sold with shops that never opened
This is the most useful thing residents of the new blocks say. The ground floor retail units in several Nine Elms developments sat empty for years after people moved in, because the rents asked were too high for anyone to take them on. One resident counted a single bakery among everything promised in their building. Check what is actually trading on the street, not what the brochure shows.
“of all the facilities, we got a Gail's, and that's it”on r/london, Mar 2023
Quiet, and people find that unsettling rather than nice
Visitors and residents both describe the Nine Elms streets as eerily quiet for zone 1, with very little foot traffic once the offices close. Residents also complain about new towers taking the light from the ones built before them. If you are viewing high up, check what has planning permission next door.
“mostly new build high rise apartments and not much else...probably as soulless as it gets”on r/london, Mar 2023
Clapham Junction is the real asset, and it is in Battersea
Clapham Junction is nearly two miles from Clapham and sits squarely in Battersea, with trains to Victoria in about six minutes and Waterloo not much more. The Northern line extension added Battersea Power Station and Nine Elms in 2021, which serves the new blocks but not the older streets. Queenstown Road and Battersea Park stations fill in the rest.
“Clapham Junction: the heart of Battersea”on r/london, Jul 2026
A lot of the new flats are not lived in full time
The advice people give about the new build end is consistent: expect neighbours who are not there, because a good share of the flats are let short term or held as investments. It makes the corridors quiet and the service charges a live issue. The older Victorian streets west of the park behave like a normal neighbourhood by comparison, and cost less per square foot.
“Battersea (lots of new flats used as Airbnbs)”on r/MovingToLondon, Apr 2026
The Wandsworth Road strip has changed a lot
The stretch between Nine Elms and Battersea proper had a rough reputation going back to the eighties and nineties, and people who grew up there say so plainly. The point they make just as plainly is that it has changed, and that the same is true of most of inner London. Current residents describe it as ordinary.
“I grew up round there in the 80s and used to work up that way in the mid 90s. Was pretty dodgy!”on r/london, May 2026