Piccadilly Circus set for pedestrian revamp under plans to make parts of West End car-free

5 July 2025, 19:30 | Updated: 6 July 2025, 08:23

Piccadilly Circus is bracing for a pedestrian makeover under plans to make some roads in the area car-free, but regular drivers have expressed concerns.

Westminster city council and the Crown estate have announced plans to create more than 35,000 square metres of car-free public space in the West End.

It could see Regent Street St James’s - the road to the south of Piccadilly Circus which runs through to St James's Park - become entirely traffic free.

Two-way traffic on Haymarket would also be introduced, with safer cycling routes introduced on Regent Street and wider pavements on one of the country's busiest shopping streets.

However, the ambitions plans are under consultation until August 10 and may be rejected.

Read more: State-of-the-art new £3bn fleet of air-conditioned Piccadilly line trains delayed by a year

Read more: Sir Sadiq Khan to pedestrianise Oxford Street ‘as quickly as possible’

It has received backlash from regular drivers in central London, who have argued it is already difficult to navigate the area by car.

Steve McNamara, general secretary of the LTDA taxi drivers’ union, is among those expressing concerned about the plans.

“These pedestrian areas feel fantastic — who wouldn’t want to walk through them? But the reality, though, is that all of the traffic on London’s roads is essential traffic; nobody is driving around London for fun, so it’s taxis and commercial vehicles that are on the roads.

“The area from Regent Street St James’s up to Piccadilly Circus is already gridlocked most of the day, but the council is saying it’ll somehow be smooth and quiet and work wonderfully if all that traffic is bumped onto Haymarket,” he told The Times.

Geoff Barraclough, cabinet member for planning and economic development at Westminster city council, has argued it will bring a boost to Londoners.

He said: “By removing traffic from Regent Street St James’s and expanding pedestrian space at Piccadilly Circus, we’re creating a new network of public spaces that will serve Londoners for generations.

"This is a rare opportunity to reimagine the heart of the West End as a greener, more welcoming and accessible place that works better for residents, visitors and local businesses alike.”

It comes after London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan announced plans to pedestrianise a significant stretch of Oxford Street.

Sir Sadiq wants to ban vehicles from a 0.7-mile stretch between Oxford Circus and Marble Arch, with the potential for further changes towards Tottenham Court Road.

Detailed proposals for traffic will be consulted on later this year.

A previous attempt by Sir Sadiq to pedestrianise that part of Oxford Street was blocked by then-Conservative run Westminster City Council in 2018.

His latest proposals depend on him obtaining permission from Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner in her role as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to establish a new Mayoral Development Corporation, which would provide planning powers.

The aim is for this to be created by the start of next year.