Speeding cyclists have forced Britain’s most expensive street — dubbed Billionaires’ Row — to close to the public, the Evening Standard has learned.
Kensington Palace Gardens was shut to pedestrians and bikes this week after several “near misses”. It is understood officials fear cyclists using the tree-lined avenue alongside Kensington Palace are putting walkers, as well as diplomats and residents, at risk.
The exclusive half-mile road that links Notting Hill Gate and Kensington High Street is blocked to cars but pedestrians and cyclists have always been free to use it. The Crown Estate owns and runs the avenue, where private homes cost an average of more than £35 million.
Formula 1 heiress Tamara Ecclestone, former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, Princess Haya of Jordan and steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal all have properties there. It also contains a number of high-profile foreign embassies, including those of Russia and Israel.
Both ends of the avenue have gates and checkpoints with armed guards. But the Crown Estate stressed that the public closure, which began on Wednesday, was down to safety rather than security concerns.
A spokesman for the Crown Estate said: “We have taken the decision to temporarily close Kensington Palace Gardens to pedestrians and cyclists due to safety concerns. This decision has been made to prioritise safety and wellbeing, whilst we review a long-term solution.”
Sources said there have been several complaints and near misses concerning cyclists using the cut-through.
A review is taking place into ways to make the road safer and it will not reopen until it is complete, the Standard was told.
It is understood that there were fears that security guards would have to deal with disgruntled cyclists who would want to walk their bike down the street, or prompt those riding electric hire cycles to dump them outside the gate on the public path unless pedestrians were also blocked from using the road.
Asked why pedestrians had been included in the ban, the Crown Estate said that a safety review had to be completed and then a final decision would be made on public access.
Last year a Christmas skating rink and festive fair next to Kensington Palace in Perks Field was cancelled because of heightened tensions amid the Israel-Hamas conflict. This followed a security review taking into consideration the proximity of the Israeli embassy.
