• WESTMINSTER City Council and Grosvenor Estates are planning to reopen the west side of Grosvenor Square to traffic following years of it being pedestrianised to the benefit of everyone who wants clean air and the ability to walk in safety.

This would be an unmitigated disaster for all of us who believe in the active travel movement and want more people to walk and cycle and use public transport as opposed to driving their cars at every opportunity.

We are faced with a climate emergency and air pollution crisis in Westminster and we are meant to be encouraging motorists to use their cars less, not more by making it easier to drive around.

These proposals particularly make a mockery of any attempt to improve the neighbouring Oxford Street district where £250million of public money is going to be spent.

It also calls into question Grosvenor Estates’ commitment to improving Grosvenor Square. It’s plain daft to say that things are better when you have plans to create one of the biggest traffic roundabouts in London!

If you are in agreement will you please write to both Westminster City Council and Grosvenor Estates and contact your local councillors to voice your objections.

It’s not too late to stop these objectionable plans which will favour a luxury hotel and do nothing for the rest of us who live in, work in, or visit the West End.

PETER HARTLEY
Chair, Westminster Living Streets