HL Deb 17 October 2000 vol 617 cc85-6WA
Lord Hylton

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Why the eastbound carriageway in Birdcage Walk is now closed; why vehicle access to Horseguards Parade is now blocked; who authorised these works; and when they expect normal traffic to be resumed. [HL4018]

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

Responsibility for the subject of this Question has been delegated to the Royal Parks Agency under its Chief Executive, William Weston. I have asked the agency to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from the Chief Executive of the Royal Parks Agency, William Weston, dated 16 October 2000.

I have been asked by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the closure of Birdcage Walk and Horse Guards Road because this is an operational matter for which the Agency is responsible.

Birdcage Walk is closed to traffic, one carriageway at a time, because we are undertaking major repairs and re-surfacing work and introducing safety improvements. Currently it is the eastbound carriageway and the work is also blocking the entrance to Horse Guards Road. The work is being carried out as part of the Agency's ongoing programme of road maintenance and is included in the Agency's corporate plan agreed by the Secretary of State. Before undertaking the works, the proposed closures were discussed with the local authority and the Metropolitan Police and Traffic for London.

The schedule has slipped slightly due to the weather and the fuel shortages, but the work is expected to be completed by the end of November.