Plans to Pedestrianise Regent Street St James's Pushed Back After Consultation Concerns

Plans to pedestrianise Regent Street St James's — the stretch of road running south from Piccadilly Circus to St James's Park — have been postponed, Westminster City Council and the Crown Estate confirmed on 14 October 2026. The scheme would have created 35,000 square metres of new public space, equivalent to approximately five football pitches, along one of London's most famous shopping streets. The plans also included wider pavements and new cycle lanes. Westminster City Council and the Crown Estate had originally intended to formally approve the project this autumn, with construction beginning in early 2029. However, officials confirmed that a further round of public consultation will now be launched in 2027 before any decision on approval is taken, pushing the entire timeline back. Authorities said that 'previous rounds of consultation had highlighted areas where more work was needed,' and stated they remained 'committed to developing a scheme that incorporates those comments.' Westminster Labour councillor Geoff Barraclough criticised the delay as 'an excuse for endless rounds of engagement, dithering and delay.' The postponement comes just days before a separate and unrelated pedestrianisation scheme — the Mayor of London's Oxford Street car-free zone, covering the 0.9 km stretch between Orchard Street and Great Portland Street — is due to go live on 26 October 2026.