The city council and The Crown Estate are working together to reimagine the public realm of Regent Street, Haymarket, and Piccadilly Circus. They ‘…want your help to shape the future of these streets and spaces’. Have your say by Sunday August 10 at https://futureofregentstreet.commonplace.is

IT has 10 times more visitors each year than the United Kingdom’s biggest tourist attraction, and now Regent Street is set for a game-changing makeover to future-proof it in the face of the climate emergency.

Westminster City Council are working with landowner The Crown Estate to draw up a new masterplan for the John Nash-designed shopping thoroughfare, and the scheme, which begins at All Souls Church in Langham Place and heads south through Piccadilly to The Mall, will see car access restricted, new public spaces created, and extra greenery planted.

With the masterplan drawn up by architects Allies and Morrison, the aim, they say, is to make the area more accessible, pedestrian-friendly, and climate-resilient.

Designs show traffic-free areas, including the closure of Coventry Street and parts of St James’s, and narrower roads to make room for larger pavements, new crossings, and new cycle lanes.

Regent Street would have single car lanes heading north and south, giving pedestrians and cyclists extra space, and six side streets would be completely closed to cars.

Allies and Morrison reveal that there are more than 70 million visits each year to the area and it is in the top five retail streets in Europe.

But it also has high levels of pedestrians and cyclists involved in accidents, suffers from a lack of tree cover and greenery, and is at risk of flooding.

Allies and Morrison, who won a £1.7million contract radically to rethink the area, have now made public designs that show swathes of streets becoming pedestrian only, with extra space created at All Souls church, Oxford Circus, Piccadilly Circus and Haymarket. New traffic-free areas will be the size of around five football pitches.

They said they looked to “unlock” traffic-free streets and create a “set piece streetscape connecting Piccadilly Circus to St James’s Park’.

Designs include removing cars and parking from Waterloo Place, to create a new public area that is the size of Piccadilly Circus, and limiting access to Trafalgar Square for cars coming from the west.

The proposals aim to ensure the “long-term success of Regent Street, Haymarket and Piccadilly Circus as a nationally important hub for commerce, culture and leisure”.

But there’s a warning. too: “Without bold, future-focused investment, these iconic streets risk falling behind, especially in the wake of strong competition from other places.

“Together we can set a new global benchmark as the world’s best destination and a place for everyone.”

The area is home to 94,000 jobs and has 700 listed buildings, but the climate emergency means the area has seen a drop of 25 per cent of visitors when summer temperatures rise.

Flash floods in the Conduit Street and Pall Mall areas were becoming more frequent, and the report added that it has one of the lowest numbers of trees in London, overcrowded pavements, and poor air quality.

Westminster Council’s chief planning cabinet member, Labour Cllr Geoff Barraclough, 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.”

The Crown Estate development director Kristy Lansdown added that it was the chance to make the West End more accessible and inclusive. She said: “The nature of cities is changing, with new challenges and opportunities emerging every year. Like other global cities, we are collectively seeking opportunities in London to adapt our places and spaces to ensure they are fit for the future.”

Now the city council, The Crown Estate and designers are holding consultations to gauge residents’ and businesses’ views, and these run until August 10.