Mayor wants carnival to take in Hyde Park

Ken Livingstone has made formal moves to extend the route of the Notting Hill Carnival to include Hyde Park next year.

The Mayor's office has submitted plans to the Royal Parks Agency that would see the celebration start on North Carriage Drive parallel to Bayswater Road.

The section of the park around the road would become a judging zone with a seated viewing area for the public and VIPs. There would be backstage changing facilities for performers and facilities to cope with up to 20,000 spectators.

The move comes in response to a recent report from one of the Mayor's top advisers, which warned that the event - attracting a million revellers each year - could be heading for a major tragedy unless more is done to ease overcrowding in Notting Hill.

The plans face deep opposition from Westminster council, and a recent survey of 4,000 local residents found 80 per cent hostile to the idea. The final decision will come from the independent parks agency. Spokesman Theo Moore said it will be made "in consultation with all interested parties".