Regent Street St James’s car-free plaza plan faces a new consultation in 2027

Westminster City Council and the Crown Estate will hold another public consultation in 2027 on closing Regent Street St James’s to traffic, which pushes back a scheme that was due to be decided this autumn.

Under the original timetable, a decision would have come this autumn and construction would have started in early 2029. The council and the Crown Estate are leading the project together.

What the Regent Street St James’s plans include

The proposals were first published earlier this year. Regent Street St James’s lies near Piccadilly Circus. Under the plans it would be closed to vehicles and become a new public plaza, while the pedestrian area around Piccadilly Circus itself would be enlarged.

The design includes wider pavements and more trees, with extra places to sit. It is also intended to help traffic move more smoothly through the area.

Regent Street alone draws about 70 million visitors a year. The wider area, which takes in Haymarket, supports around 94,000 jobs.

Labour criticises the delay at Westminster

Labour lost control of Westminster City Council in May this year. Its Westminster group has accused the new Conservative administration of holding up what it called a “once-in-a-generation opportunity”. Labour said the plans would improve traffic flow and give everyone more and better space free of traffic.

Elsewhere in the West End, a 1km stretch of Oxford Street is due to close to cars from 26 October, so that scheme will be in place long before any work could start on Regent Street St James’s.