The City of London's latest car-free zone has been revealed.
You've probably wandered through Christchurch Greyfriars. The church, north of St Paul's, was gutted during the Second World War, and its ruins have since been preserved as a garden (the tower also stands and is, enviably, a private residence).
Glorious though this garden can be, it's somewhat blighted by the busy road junction alongside, known romantically as the St Paul's Gyratory. Now, the City of London Corporation's plans to de-gyratorialise the space have been approved. The future looks much rosier. Literally.
Preparatory work has been underway since earlier in 2025, but the plans can now move forward apace. The development, to be known as Greyfriars Square, is reckoned to be the largest public open space within the Square Mile at 3,500-square-metres. This seems surprising, until you cast your mind around to find that there are very few open spaces in the Square Mile bigger than a pocket park. Nearby Paternoster Square might be slightly bigger, depending which side roads you include, but that's semi-private.
The City has provided a 'fly-through' video to give you a taste of things to come.
As you can see from the visuals, the reworking will close off the southern end of King Edward Street, while keeping open the east-west route from Newgate Street to Cheapside. In place of the tarmac and traffic island, the area will instead feature planters and benches. And what's this...?
Yes, a mini-playground. This would normally be of minor note, but the City of London contains zero public playgrounds worthy of that description. Just the odd minor intervention here and there. While this new play area looks tiny, it'll still be bigger than any other play equipment you'll find in the Square Mile. More of this, please! (We keep suggesting it, but perhaps part of the old Smithfield Market buildings can be turned into a giant, London-themed playground once the butchers move out.) The kids will also get a kick out of this stone 'balance beam', which runs the length of one of the park's axes.
The work is scheduled to be complete by April 2027. A 'Phase 2' will later see the removal of the old Museum of London rotunda at the northern end of the street, as part of the wider redevelopment of that corner.
Further details including an FAQ about traffic flows can be found on the City of London website.
