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Commons authorities are holding discussions about closing part of Parliament Square to traffic, a committee has heard.
John Pullinger, director general of information services, told the administration committee that the parliamentary estates directorate is talking about a possible pedestrianisation with "stakeholders", thought to include Transport for London and Westminster city council.
However, he stressed that the Commons authorities are "involved in discussions, not negotiations".
The plan to improve access to Parliament by closing off some or all of the square has been previously raised by the Hansard Society as well as senior Commons administrators.
John Spellar (Lab, Warley) warned that while pedestrianisation "might seem desirable", Trafalgar Square has become "a permanent bottleneck in central London" after it was partially closed to traffic.
Parliament Square has proved a source of constant interest to MPs in recent years because of a large static demonstration that has grown up, consisting of people in tents loosely referred to as a "peace camp".
In November 2010 David Cameron told MPs he could not understand why demonstrators should be allowed to sleep in the square surrounded by the House of Commons and Westminster Abbey.
Speaking during prime minister's questions, Cameron said he would "always defend the right to protest and the right to protest peacefully and it seems to me entirely fair that people should protest".
But he added: "I have never seen any reason why they have to sleep in Parliament Square."
However, attempts to move the protesters have been frustrated by the courts.
Efforts to remove demonstrators and encampments from Parliament Square have run into many difficulties, including the competing jurisdictions under which the area falls under.
While the pavements on the southern and western edges of the square are owned by Westminster Council, the pavements on the northern and eastern side are owned by the GLA – as is the grass in the middle.
Under the government's police reform and social responsibility act, Westminster council will be able to remove encampments from the area.
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