Da Vinci Code street gets £640,000 facelift

A public square is to be built in central London as part of plans to rejuvenate the West End.

Great Queen Street, once a secret pathway used by royalty, is to be revamped to encourage more people to walk between Lincoln's Inn Fields, Holborn, Covent Garden and Leicester Square. The street and the nearby Freemasons' building featured in bestseller The Da Vinci Code and were in the film version.

Plans for the square, at the crossroads of Covent Garden and Drury Lane, include trees and seats. The project will cost £640,000 and should be completed by the summer.

The pavements in Great Queen Street will be widened and laid with York stone and the traffic lights and guard railings will be removed. Step-free crossings will make it easier for people using prams and wheelchairs. The Freemasons introduced plans for a public space in the area in the Thirties which were refused.

Great Queen Street was originally created in the 17th century as a private lane for Queen Anne to use to get to Lincoln's Inn Fields. Danny Chalkley, cabinet member for environment and transport at Westminster council, said: "We're advancing ambitious plans to renew the West End ahead of 2012."

The scheme was designed by the Clear Zones Partnership and is being funded by Transport for London.