Road closures around Changing of the Guard

Headline Date 21-12-2016

Ruth Duston, CEO of Victoria BID said:

“As you may have seen in the media over the last 24 hours, a road closure pilot scheme around the Changing of the Guard is being brought forward and will start today (Weds 21 December 2016). 

Constitution Hill, the Queen Victoria Memorial, Spur Road, Link Road and The Mall (up to the junction with Marlborough Road) will be closed to vehicles between approximately 10.45am and 12.30pm on the days of Changing the Guard outside Buckingham Palace. During this time all vehicles will need to avoid these roads, and adjacent areas may be more congested.

The closures follow a request from the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) as part of ongoing security measures aimed at keeping the public safe. The MPS has stressed the road closures, which have been planned for some time, are a precautionary measure and not in relation to any specific intelligence. The planned implementation has been brought forward however, following the tragic events earlier this week in Berlin.  

This is a three month pilot scheme and we will be monitoring the road closures to identify impacts and any particular pinch points. While we obviously understand the security concerns we are keen to ensure the changes don’t have a detrimental impact on businesses and visitors in the area. We will continue to work closely with our partners at the Met, Transport for London and Westminster City Council, and will ensure our business community is kept up to date with information about the road closures. We are keen to hear from businesses on the impacts the closures have on their staff and operations, please get in touch with the BID team and we will be able to feedback your comments to the relevant parties.”

The full schedule of Changing the Guard dates can be viewed on the Household Division website.  

For live updates and traffic advice please visit: www.tfl.gov.uk/traffic/status