Overview

• The draft masterplan, developed by Westminster City Council and The Crown Estate, proposes making Regent Street St James’s traffic-free and enlarging pedestrian zones at Piccadilly Circus.
• The scheme would deliver more than 35,000 sqm of new car-free public realm equivalent to five football pitches and reintroduce two-way traffic on Haymarket.
• On Regent Street between Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus, planners would remove the central island, reduce traffic to one lane each way and install safer cycling routes.
• Public engagement on the proposals is open until August 10, with detailed plans for traffic diversions and bus rerouting to follow later this year.
• Final approval is expected in 2026 and hinges on securing sufficient funding and coordination with the Oxford Street pedestrianisation initiative.