Transport for London (TfL) has spent nearly £37,000 removing homeless people from Park Lane since April last year.
The transport authority has spent the money on court costs and instructing bailiffs and legal counsel, with fairly large encampments basing themselves in the area over each of the last two summers.
TfL, which owns the green stretch of land running down the dual carriageway, has worked with Westminster City Council to remove the encampments, which has included applying for possession orders from the court.
In response to a Freedom of Information (FoI) request submitted by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), TfL revealed it spent £35,260 in 2024/25 and £1,714 so far this year.
A spokesperson confirmed an additional £404 has been spent since the FoI response was received – making a total of £37,378 – with further court charges expected in mid-August.
They said people who have been sleeping rough in Park Lane have been made aware they will be removed if they return and that security staff are to patrol the area.
In 2021, Westminster City Council staff had to clear piles of rubbish and dismantle an encampment thought to have occupied the space for around seven years. Last October, TfL removed a collection of around 40 people from the site having been granted a possession order the month before.
Another encampment situated itself on a patch of land opposite the Hilton Hotel, towards Hyde Park Corner, earlier this year.
The LDRS attempted to approach the group in May, which at the time consisted of around 12 tents, though was ushered away.
Aziz, who was sleeping rough on the same patch of land though in a separate collection of tents, told the LDRS the other group began arriving around three months prior, and that a man and two women regularly brought more people to the site.
He added they had necessities including cooking equipment and that he saw them begging in the area towards Green Park.
Several local businesses said they were frustrated by people from the encampment approaching patrons. One person, who runs a nearby restaurant, said: “The problem is we try to push them away and they won’t budge out. All I want to do is get rid of them because of the customers. And it’s not good for the area.”
The latest encampment has since been cleared, though calls were growing for TfL and partners, such as Westminster City Council, to do more to prevent more setting up.
Conservative councillors Paul Fisher and Tim Barnes told the LDRS in May: “As the local councillors for West End, we are calling for these illegal tents to be removed as a priority. But in addition, TfL and Westminster City Council need to provide a lasting solution to illegal camps, otherwise we will be back at square one. This is unacceptable at the centre of our capital.”
A spokesperson for St Mungo’s, the homeless charity, had said a compassionate response to the rough sleeping crisis across London is needed where people are supported in accessing emergency accommodation, housing in the private rented sector and specialist accommodation.
The LDRS submitted an FoI request with Westminster City Council as well as TfL, though was told the local authority had spent nothing removing homeless people from Park Lane. This was due to it being the responsibility of TfL during the time period requested.
TfL’s data showed it recorded no spend between 2020/21 and 2023/24.
Cllr Paul Swaddle, Leader of the Opposition, said swifter action by the Labour-run council would have minimised disruption and the cost. He said: “This should never have taken nearly a year to do – what a shambles.”
A Westminster City Council spokesperson previously told the LDRS its support services are “comprehensive and there is no reason a person should have to sleep rough – on this site or anywhere else in the city.
“The reasons people live on the street are complex, and many sleeping rough have a range of needs or disabilities. We have supported TfL, who maintain the site, with their recent possession orders – ensuring anybody displaced is able to access help and has an opportunity to get off of the street and into accommodation.”
A TfL spokesperson said: “No one should be faced with sleeping rough on London’s streets. Park Lane is a busy part of the road network that is not a safe place for people to sleep rough and our focus has always been on the safety and welfare of everyone involved.
“People who have been sleeping rough at this site have been made aware that returning to the site is not an option and that they will be removed. As there is no safe option for people to sleep rough at this site, we have also arranged for security staff to patrol the area to discourage people from returning. We will continue to work with Westminster City Council whose outreach teams can connect people to the support available to them.”
Ben Lynch is a Local Democracy Reporter covering the City of London, Hammersmith & Fulham, Westminster, and Kensington and Chelsea. A former contributor to Harrow Online, he reports on local government, housing, planning, transport and issues affecting communities across London.
