Culture minister Margaret Hodge has accepted advice from English Heritage to upgrade the listing of Battersea Power Station from Grade II to Grade II*.

London’s iconic power station – one of the largest brick built structures in Europe – was originally listed as a Grade II building in 1980, but following an application by English Heritage, ongoing maintenance works and a full inspection, it has been upgraded to Grade II* status.

Simon Thurley, chief executive of English Heritage, said: “Battersea Power Station is one of London’s most loved buildings and this much-deserved upgrading can only put extra emphasis on the importance of the regeneration process and help to speed it along.

“It’s outstanding exterior has a grandeur and scale more like the ruins of a Roman basilica.” /P>

Hodge said: “English Heritage has taken full account of the interior losses and have weighed this against the remaining merits of the building.”

Rafael Viñoly Architects, the firm that designed the Walkie-Talkie tower planned for London, has been appointed to come up with a masterplan for Battersea Power Station.

Battersea Power Station was designed by architect J Theo Halliday and Giles Gilbert Scott during the Art Deco period. It was the setting for Alfred Hitchcock’s 1936 film Sabotage and was on the cover of Pink Floyd’s 1977 album Animals.