HL Deb 08 February 1999 vol 597 cc3-4WA
Lord Kennet

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the Royal Parks Agency have decided, without consultation, to close the North Carriage Drive of Hyde Park for the summer months so as to facilitate the 12 pop concerts which they have decided, without local consultation, to allow a commercial firm to mount in Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens; and whether this closure has been the subject of traffic or environmental impact assessment, and has been agreed by the relevant traffic authorities. [HL815]

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

Responsibility for the subject of this question has been delegated to the Royal Parks Agency under its Chief Executive, Mr. David Welch. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter to Lord Kennet front the Head of Policy of the Royal Parks Agency, Ms Viviane Robertson, dated 8 February 1999.

In the absence of the Chief Executive, Mr. David Welch, I have been asked by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to reply to your parliamentary Question about the closure of North Carriage Drive while concerts are held in Hyde Park.

We shall have to close North Carriage Drive at the time of the concerts, although we have not yet decided for how long we will need to close it. We have done this for a number of years when major events are being held in Hyde Park to allow contractors to install and dismantle the event site safely. I can assure you we will arrange the closures so that they cause the least possible disruption.

We are not required to carry out environmental or traffic impact assessments. Nor, since park roads are Crown roads, maintained and policed by the Agency, are we required to seek the agreement of the relevant local traffic authority. When planning the concerts we will inform the Metropolitan Police about the proposed road closure so that they can arrange to give adequate advance warning to motorists.