Technology giant Apple is to make Battersea Power Station the home of its new London headquarters.

The famed Grade II listed building, which features four towering chimneys, is currently undergoing a multibillion-pound restoration.The firm will become the largest office tenant at the former electricity generator, with 1,400 staff across six floors in the central boiler house. An Apple spokesperson called the move a “great opportunity” for the company.It said it would mean “its entire team [could] work and collaborate in one location while supporting the renovation of a neighbourhood rich with history”.

The former coal-fired power station has stood unoccupied for decades on the banks of the River Thames.Rob Tincknell, Battersea Power Station Development Company’s CEO, said the new headquarters would “undoubtedly help” turn the area into “one of London’s most thriving new communities”.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said Apple’s decision was “a further sign that London is open to the biggest brands in the world”, while Chancellor Philip Hammond called it “another vote of confidence in the UK economy”.Dato’ Johan Ariffin, chairman of Battersea Holding Company Limited, said: “This move by a brand of such calibre will serve to generate even more interest in Battersea.”Apple employees will move from various London offices into the building in 2021, taking up 40% of the space within the power station.