Royal Parks Remain Open

But road access to Richmond Park and take-away cafes and kiosks are now closed


Richmond Park - open to all

The Royal Parks will remain open for visitors,however the take-away cafes kiosks and road access to some parks are closed.



Tom Jarvis, Director of Parks at The Royal Parks, said: “Following the Prime Minister’s latest address, we are pleased that our parks can remain open for essential daily exercise, be that a run, walk or cycle. People are permitted to exercise once a day, either alone or with members of their immediate household, but all other gatherings in the parks of more than two people are banned and will be dispersed by the police. Social distancing, as set out by the Government, is absolutely crucial so people must stay at least two metres apart at all times. By following these rules, we can keep London's parks open for everyone who needs them.

He continued: We believe strongly that having access to green space has never been more important than it is today for people’s physical and mental wellbeing, particularly for those without a garden. It is up to all of us collectively to adhere to the latest guidance, otherwise we will have to consider closing the parks. We will keep the situation under constant review.”

On Sunday (22nd March) based on police advice, the roads to Richmond Park (and Bushy and Greenwich Parks) were closed to traffic in the outer parks. Roads remain open in the inner parks (Hyde, Regent’s, St James’s Parks), but all designated car parks are now only open for key workers with a permit.

The Royal Parks charity is closely monitoring Government advice on COVID-19 and is following the advice of Public Health England. In order to prevent the spread of the virus through social contact in a busy space, the charity is taking all appropriate measures to keep visitors safe and healthy during this time.

The following measures have been put in place:
• All playgrounds will be closed to public access from Wednesday 18th March until further notice, in order to help people with social distancing.
• All sports bookings (including school bookings) at The Hub in The Regent’s Park will be cancelled with immediate effect until 19th April, when the situation will be reviewed. No additional bookings will be taken until further notice.
• All of The Royal Parks’ learning and education programmes, community programmes and volunteer activities have been cancelled with immediate effect until the end of April, when we will review the situation.
• All small events being held in a Royal Park between 18th March and 30th April will be cancelled.
• Park toilets will remain free of charge until further notice, in order to provide visitors with hand washing facilities.
• All park offices are now closed to the public until further notice.

Please check The Royal Parks’ website for daily updates www.royalparks.org.uk/coronavirus as well as our Twitter feed @theroyalparks .

March 24, 2020