Mayor's £18m scheme to pedestrianise Parliament
Plans to part-pedestrianise Parliament Square have been unveiled.
The £18 million blueprint involves closing the road that separates the western side of the square from Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament to traffic.
Cars will be redirected around the eastern side of the square - a design similar to the Mayor's partial closure of Trafalgar Square five years ago.
The plans, which will put out to public consultation in May, have been drawn up by Vogt Landscape Architects, the Swiss firm responsible for some of the South Bank redevelopment.
It is understood that Ken Livingstone wants to transform the congestion-blighted spot into a tourist attraction in time for the 2012 Olympics.
Eight listed statues - including one of Sir Winston Churchill - will be shifted away from the area to clear it of "clutter". A full planning application is expected in August.
The £25million transformation of Trafalgar Square was designed by Lord Foster, and caused initial complaints from drivers about gridlock in surrounding streets.
