Formula E cars will be zooming around Battersea Park in front of thousands of people this summer after the council gave the green light.

Wandsworth Times:

Speedy: The vehicles are single-seater, electrically powered racing cars

The eagerly-awaited finale of the 2015 FIA Formula E Championship, which features electric cars, will be held in the park on the weekend of June, 27-28.

An estimated 60,000 people are expected to attend over the weekend, with 30,000 visiting each day.

The races look set to be staged over the next five years and are expected to make the park approximately £1m for improvements.

Battersea will also be home to a Formula E school race which will feature kids from ten schools competing in kit cars they have put together.

A temporary circuit will be created largely following the park’s internal roads. A pits area will be created on an existing tarmacked site.

Some temporary buildings will be installed in the park including spectator stands.

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Scenic: The park is heavily used and has ducks and herons around the lake 

The public have been divided over the plans and concerns have been raised by a charity.

A letter by Frances Radcliffe OBE, the chairman of the Friends of Battersea Park, strongly objected to the Formula E proposal.

The organisers have agreed to protect the park from harm and to minimise the impact on park users and neighbours. Following the event they have promised to quickly restore the park.

To accommodate the ePrix the park will be closed to the public from 10.30pm on Friday, June 26, until 6.30am on Wednesday, July 1.

An area will be kept open to the public throughout as well as the entire length of the Battersea Park riverside walk.

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Councillor Sarah McDermott, planning chairman, said: “This plan will bring a global sporting event to Battersea and meets a series of exacting conditions to protect the park from harm. We can now look forward to a spectacular racing spectacle set within the grounds of one of London’s most beautiful and historic parks."

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Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, said: “Formula E is set to be a superb addition to London’s sporting calendar. The atmosphere will quite literally be electric and Battersea, which is already booming with the buzz of regeneration, will be alive with the excitement that this new, world-class event will no doubt spark.”

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Councillor Jonathan Cook, Wandsworth deputy leader, added: “This is great news for Battersea and for London. Our great city now has another world-class event to add to its calendar. Formula E is an incredible racing spectacle and a showcase for zero emission electric motoring. This sport is changing attitudes to electric cars and I’m delighted Battersea Park will be the backdrop for the season finale.”

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Will Martindale, Labour's prospective Parliamentary candidate for Battersea, said: "I'm excited by the growth of Formula E but great care must be taken to maintain the heritage of Battersea Park. I love the park and run round it every weekend. Access to green outdoor space is precious. 

"It's essential that the money raised goes to the local community. The Doddington and Rollo estates on Battersea Park Road have been deprived of funds for years."