Primrose Hill gates to be locked at night at weekends again

Starting from this Friday (April 5), the park will be temporarily closed to the public between 10pm and 6am on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays until further notice.

The Royal Parks has confirmed that the restriction – which has been enforced during the British Summer Time period over the past few years – will be returning as the park gets busier over the warmer months.

For now it will continue be closed with Heras fencing (pictured) until the permanent black metal fencing proposed last year is installed.

Fencing at a Primrose Hill entrance was left damaged in 2023 (Image: Jenny McCririck)

Data published last May from a public engagement survey showed locals and visitors were equally divided on whether the park should be locked.

Out of 1,257 responses, 23.2 per cent said that it should be closed only for operational reasons such as extreme weather or events like Halloween.

An equal 23.2 per cent however said that it should ‘never’ be locked.

And a marginally smaller percentage – 22.2 per cent – said it should be locked every night from 10pm to 5pm.

The view from Primrose Hill (Image: Joseph Reaidi)

Following the engagement, Royal Parks said it took a “balanced and proportionate decision” to enforce weekend closures only during the BST period.

It said it works closely with the Metropolitan Police Service, which is responsible for enforcing any response to crime or antisocial behaviour.

When BST started this year on March 31, people were seen walking in-and-out of Primrose Hill during the early hours as the restriction does  not start until this Friday.

Plans were submitted to Camden Council last autumn for nine permanent gates.

Joe Ellis, a technical officer for Royal Parks, said management would decide on fundraising if planning permission is granted.

Describing the current fencing as “unsightly”, easily broken and costly to replace, he added: "Given that we've already closed the park in certain instances with the temporary fencing, it will actually be beneficial to have a permanent solution which will be a bit more flexible and more cost effective in the long run."

There have also been many complaints that the current temporary fencing is being destroyed regularly and revellers are still accessing the site during night over the weekend.