£19m plan approved for new Square Mile public area

A new 3,500sq m public square is to be built in central London.

Greyfriars Square will be constructed on a site near St Paul's Cathedral as part of the £19m reworking of the old 1970s gyratory. The space will include seating areas and other features such as a play area.

The highway with the new layout is planned to "go live" in September 2026 with the square due to open in spring 2027. Once complete, it will be the largest public open space in the City of London.

Tom Sleigh, chair of the City of London Corporation Planning and Transport Committee, said the approval "marks a major milestone in our ambition to create world-class public spaces in the Square Mile".

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the square is part of a wider transformation of the area around the famous cathedral including a remodelling of the one-way gyratory system.

The scheme is intended to improve the streets and public realm between the old Museum of London site and St Paul's Underground station, with part of the gyratory to be removed in the process.

It will be delivered in phases, the first of which will improve streets to the south of the former Museum of London and the second to involve changes to the roundabout by the vacated museum site.

Members attending Wednesday's sub-committee meeting agreed to approve the designs plus an additional £9.4m for the square's construction.

Mr Sleigh said: "Greyfriars Square will become the largest new public square in the City for generations, improving connectivity and the experience for everyone who lives, works and visits here."

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