Councillors at Wandsworth’s community services scrutiny committee have approved the concept of hosting electric car racing series Formula E’s title decider in Battersea Park.
The decision remains subject to planning permission and approval from the motor racing world’s governing body the FIA.
The proposals would see Formula E stage two races in the park over a weekend in June 2015.
If the event does not have an adverse effect on the park and races are staged there over the next five years, Battersea Park could receive around £1m of investment from Formula E, which would be spent on improving and maintaining it. The council might also generate additional revenue from the sale of tickets and TV rights.
The council’s environment spokesman Cllr Jonathan Cook said: “This is a great opportunity for Battersea to host a major global sporting event.
“The organisers behind Formula E are at the cutting edge of electric car technology. The power units in their racing cars today are likely to be fitted as standard in the electrically powered family cars of tomorrow and we are keen to help support advances in this important environmental technology. We also want to give our backing to the globally important British motor racing industry that generates many thousands of jobs in the UK’s engineering sector.”
If planning consent is given, the race would feature 20 drivers competing on a circuit that incorporates the park’s existing perimeter tarmac roads.
