Primrose Hill Update
The Royal Parks today announced that following a public engagement exercise and after considering the available evidence, it will install gates on Primrose Hill to facilitate park closures when necessary.
The park will continue to be closed to the public from 10pm until 6am the following morning on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during the British Summer Time daylight savings period, and on ad hoc days at other times of the year in response to operational need. This includes night-time closures on Bonfire Night, Hallowe’en and New Year’s Eve, as well as during extreme weather events, continuing a pattern of closures that has been in place for more than 10 years.
To support these closures, The Royal Parks will install gates at park entrances, removing the current unsightly Heras fencing which detracts from this important Grade II-listed landscape and is prone to damage. The black metal gates will be in keeping with the landscape and will match the height of the existing railings.
A planning application will be submitted in the coming months which will be subject to statutory consultation by the Local Authority providing an opportunity for the public to comment on the design proposal.
There have been very strong views on both sides of the debate between those who wish to see the park locked at night and those who wish to keep it open. It is, however, incumbent on The Royal Parks to take a balanced and proportionate decision which it has now done.
Additionally, an engagement survey which was run during November and December 2022 to gather the views of local residents and park visitors, provided The Royal Parks with useful data on a wide variety of issues experienced in the park including litter, noise, cycling and behaviour, and whether the park should be routinely locked. The survey findings are published below.
Primrose Hill is a beautiful space and outstanding resource which is there for everyone to enjoy. The Royal Parks urges all visitors to respect this and all the other parks it manages, and to show consideration to fellow visitors and neighbouring communities.
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