Regent Street and Piccadilly Circus Pedestrianisation Plans Delayed

Westminster City Council and the Crown Estate announced that their plans to pedestrianise Regent Street St James's — the stretch running from south of Piccadilly Circus to St James's Park — and to expand pedestrian space at Piccadilly Circus have been delayed. The scheme would create 35,000 square metres of new public space in central London, an area equivalent to roughly five football pitches, and would also introduce wider pavements and new cycle lanes. Under the proposals, through traffic currently using Regent Street St James's would be redirected to the neighbouring Haymarket, which would carry vehicles in both directions. Construction had originally been scheduled to begin in early 2029, with the council widely expected to formally approve the plan this autumn. Instead, another round of public consultations will be launched next year, following issues raised in previous rounds. A spokesperson for the Crown Estate and Westminster City Council said previous consultations had 'highlighted areas where more work was needed.' Labour councillor Geoff Barraclough condemned the setback as 'an excuse for endless rounds of engagement, dithering and delay.' The delay comes as a separate, nearby project — the pedestrianisation of a one-kilometre stretch of Oxford Street by the Mayor of London — was set to open on 26 October.