NEWS

Latest news relating to the progress of the Pedestrianise Formosa Street project

Consultation Results Published

18 March 2026

The results of the public consultation run by Westminster City Council between 12 December 2026 and 16 January 2026 have now been published. They show overwhelming support for the full pedestrianisation of the short stretch of Formosa Street between Warrington Crescent and Castellain Road. Further details below.

The two options for pedestrianising Formosa Street that were the subject of the consultation were::

Full closure between Castellain Road and Warrington Crescent, and
Timed entry restriction coupled with a permanent one way only arrangement

425 questionnaire responses were made by residents, with further input gained from comments submitted through emails, business surveys, and an online meeting. As well as rating each of these options on a 5-point like/dislike scale, respondents could add open comments in a free text box.

The results indicated strong support for pedestrianisation, with the consultation showing a clear preference for full closure, with 80% of questionnaire respondents supporting Option 1. As indicated elsewhere in this web site, this option is the only one to deliver the vision of a pedestrianised space to eat, drink and dwell that was presented in the 2024 petition.

Only around 50% supported the timed closure option. The majority of businesses in Formosa Street surveyed also supported pedestrianisation.

It is understood that full pedestrianisation is strongly supported by decision-makers in the Council, and that provision has been made for the next stages in the Council budget for financial year 2026/27.

This strong support for pedestrianisation will be taken forward by the Council into a detailed design, based on Option 1, that in due course will be subject to a further round of consultation prior to implementation, which will hopefully take place within the next 12 months.

This result vindicates those who voted for pedestrianisation in the 2024 petition in the face of irrational and persistent opposition from Conservative councillors and others with no vision or community spirit. Local residents now have the prospect of a safe, car-free space for people to walk, shop, and socialise, thereby enhancing an already valuable community asset. Local businesses have nothing to fear from pedestrianisation, which will help them in these difficult times of increasing costs - substantial evidence from other similar schemes shows that pedestranisation increases footfall by as much as 40%

For those interested in more detail, the full consultation report can be found on Westminster’s website here. Further information is also available here.

Consultation Under Way

12 December 2025

Westminster City Council has started an online consultation that runs until 16 January. They are seeking residents' views on two options for pedestrianising Formosa Street:

Full closure between Castellain Road and Warrington Crescent, and
Timed entry restriction coupled with a permanent one way only arrangement

Westminster Council members are strongly in favour of some form of pedestrianisation and this consultation is the next step towards developing a scheme to do so.

Last summer's petition attracted 365 signatures in favour of pedestrianisation, based on the concept of full closure to traffic as illustrated on the Home page of this web site. This latest consultation is your opportunity to influence the design of the scheme that will be implemented in favour of total pedestrianisation.

The consultation seeks views on various aspects of the two design options, but only Option 1 meets the vision of a fully traffic-free ‘town square’ space set out in the petition.

Please comment in favour of Option 1 in the consultation. You might want to highlight that:

Option 1 is the only one to deliver the vision of a pedestrianised space to eat, drink and dwell
The original objective was to get rid of traffic in this part of the street – only Option 1 does so
Alternative traffic routes exist – no need to allow vehicles at any time apart from emergencies
Option 1 allows for evolution of uses over time, including ad hoc uses such as markets, events etc

Option 2 is a compromise that does not fully reflect this vision. You might want to make the following points in your consultation response regarding Option 2:

It constrains where trees and benches can be placed
There will be a risk of traffic in the street even at times when it is prohibited
There will be a risk of thieves using bikes on the road to facilitate theft
There is likely to be confusion over when road is open to traffic and when it is not
The hours when loading and traffic will be allowed have not been defined
There is a potential risk for pedestrians walking along Castellain Road and Warrington Crescent from vehicles crossing the pavement
The proposed bollards are intrusive and spoil the sense of a ‘town square’

Here is a link to the consultation pages: https://formosastreetpublicrealm.commonplace.is/

It will only take a few minutes of your time to respond, and it would be helpful if you could make some of the points above in your response.

Feasibility Study Under Way

27 November 2025

Westminster City Council's contractor FM Conway have started work on the feasibility study that was approved in September. Traffic and parking surveys have been completed (you might have seen the temporary cameras fixed to lampposts in the area) and they are now drawing up outlines of a number of design options to be put to public consultation in January.

Watch this space for further news!

Feasibility Study Approved

27 September 2025

The application for funding to undertake a feasibility study into the proposed for Formosa Street Pedestrianisation was approved by Westminster City Council in July. They have approved a total of £39,875, which will cover a number of traffic/parking surveys, some outline designs for the potential scheme and public consultation. The work will be carried out by the Council's contractor FM Conway and overseen by the Council's Highways department.

The first step will be traffic and kerbside surveys, which should start soon. Analysing the traffic and parking data is the first step to fully understand potential impacts and opportunities for a closure of the street to vehicles.

The plan is to develop a shortlist of options for consultation for December. This will be followed by public consultation on the outline options in January.

Watch this space for further news!

NCIL funding application

24 March 2025

Following a meeting with Westminster City Council Officers on 12 March an application for funding from the Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (NCIL) is in preparation. This application will cover a feasibility study and options appraisal, together with a design and costing for the main scheme to pedestrianise Formosa Street. Implementation of the scheme will be the subject of a further funding application. The application is being prepared jointly by me and Council officers and we hope to submit it in time for the next submissions window at the end of April.

Progress report

6 February 2025

Good news! Westminster Council has now submitted a report to the Cabinet Member for Streets, Councillor Max Sullivan, setting out the next steps in response to our petition. See link below.

The report states that the proposals to pedestrianise this section of Formosa Street supports a number of Fairer Westminster strategies and aligns with the council’s existing High Streets Programme.

A full feasibility study will be required to understand the viability of the proposals, but there is funding available for the community to bid for via the Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (NCIL) funding award programme, which allows local communities to propose infrastructure projects that positively shape the area and help residents achieve their vision for their neighbourhood.

I will be liaising with Council officers to secure the necessary funding, in the first instance to develop the feasibility study but in due course to implement the planned design. Watch this space for further development!

Link to Council report

Petition closed

27 September 2024

The petition closed on 17 September and gained 365 signatures. Thanks to everyone who signed it, and special mention to the businesses on Formosa Street who publicised the project and the petition. The petition was presented to Full Council on 18 September by Cllr Hassan and was well received.

The next step is that Westminster Council officers will draft a report proposing how the scheme may be taken forward, for consideration and eventual approval by councillors. Watch this space for more news!