Banning cyclists and pedestrians from Kensington Palace Gardens — the London street dubbed Billionaires’ Row and Britain’s “most expensive street” thanks to its £35 million average house price — in a move claimed to be about avoiding “near misses” with dangerous cyclists, has been slammed as “selfish and spiteful” by a Labour candidate standing at the general election.

On Friday it emerged that the Crown Estate had closed the half-mile-long tree-lined avenue near Hyde Park to pedestrians and cyclists — the street home to several foreign embassies, such as those of Russia and Israel, as well as high-value private properties belonging to former Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich and Princess Haya of Jordan.

The decision was made, the Crown Estate claimed, due to concerns about “speeding” cyclists using the route as a cut-through and causing several complaints of “near misses” with residents and diplomats.

However, Joe Powell, the Labour parliamentary candidate in Kensington & Bayswayer has now launched a petition calling for the “crucial, safe connection between Notting Hill Gate and Kensington High Street” used by “thousands of pedestrians and cyclists every day” to be reopened.

“I’m calling on The Crown Estate to urgently reopen Kensington Palace Gardens to pedestrians and cyclists after they decided to close the road,” he explained. “Kensington & Chelsea is already ranked the worst inner London borough for active travel by the Healthy Streets coalition. The last thing we need with a council and MP with a track record of blocking any initiatives to make our streets safer is one of the few safe roads for pedestrians and cyclists to be closed.”

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The street has been closed to motorists for some time and has armed guards stationed at either end. However, until last week, it was accessible to those making walking, cycling or wheeling journeys, the Evening Standard first reporting the closure and the Crown Estate’s insistence it is “due to safety concerns”.

The Crown Estate added that the road closure is only temporary while “we review a long-term solution” and a decision made on public access.

The Standard has also reported that the ban on pedestrians as well as cyclists comes after fears were raised that security guards would be forced to deal with “disgruntled” cyclists who would instead wish to walk their bike down the street, or lead to those riding hire bikes to leave them outside the gate on the public path.

Back in 2016, plans to make Kensington Palace Gardens one of London’s cycling Quietways – signposted routes on quiet back streets designed to offer a calmer and safer network for people on bikes – were scrapped following residents expressing fears that the use of the road by “the masses” would compromise security and “cede its exclusivity”.

> Locals block Quietway on exclusive London private road

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea council and Transport for London received 15 responses to the consultation on the proposed Quietway, including “several” respondents who claimed that it would “pose security risks, unspecified”.

One resident told the consultation: “The residents on this private road should not be responsible for the use of the masses. Open use of this private roadway by the masses will cede its exclusivity and surrender its security.”

“Those who already use the cut-through… are oblivious to the dismount notices and feel the right to pedal through, causing pedestrians to move and young mums with buggies to move out of the way,” another added.

“This is annoying to all, residents and visitors alike, we pay for the upkeep of this private road… in our high council tax and expect to keep the standards of privacy this brings us.”

One person even argued that cyclists should be prevented from using the road entirely, while another wrote that there were “far too many cyclists on the roadway as it is” while calling for “a blanket ban”. Eight years on that action has now come to pass.