It’s not just building new Apple devices that has slowed down with the coronavirus pandemic. According to a report published Monday, work on Apple’s new London HQ — located in the city’s iconic Battersea Power Station — has also been impacted by COVID-19 lockdown.
CNBC‘s article notes that work on both Apple and Google’s individual new London headquarters have ground to a halt, with both now “turned into ghost towns.”
Apple’s Battersea Power Station HQ was first announced in 2016. The 500,000-square-foot site represents one of the biggest single office deals in London — outside the City and Docklands area — in two decades. Like Apple Park in Cupertino, it will solidify staff from multiple offices into one place. The new London offices will take up six floors in total, bringing together roughly 1,400 employees.
Battersea Power Station is an iconic part of the London skyline. It’s particularly well-known to many people due its inclusion on the front cover of Pink Floyd’s “Animals” album.
Apple’s London HQ during lockdown
Delays have been whispered about for some time before COVID-19. A report from late 2018 said that Apple was exploring backup options “just in case” it proved impossible to open the new campus by December 2020 as the company originally planned. That now seems to be all but guaranteed.
“We have concluded that, in light of the government requirements and guidelines, the site should remain closed for the next few weeks,” said Simon Murphy, the boss of Battersea Power Station Development Company, at the end of March.
Since then, CNBC notes that only a few people are working on site. These include security crews and a skeleton staff for essential maintenance. Construction will continue once the UK exits the current lockdown. Similar delays are also hitting Google’s new HQ and various other construction projects in London.
It’s not only the Battersea Power Station that is looking like a “ghost town” right now. Apple Park is currently largely vacant as employees work from home. Apple Stores outside of China and South Korea also remain shuttered.
