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Sir Sadiq Khan has announced that he will go ahead with plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street after receiving what he dubbed “overwhelming public and business support” for the contentious proposal.
London’s Labour mayor has long advocated removing traffic from the capital city’s main shopping street despite previous opposition from Westminster council, the local borough.
On Tuesday, Khan said he was moving forward with the pedestrianisation of Oxford Street with detailed proposals to be published later this year.
He said City Hall would set up a “mayoral development corporation” by the new year to drive the transformation of the area, working with businesses, the local authority and the national government.
The mayor said the results of a public consultation had showed that two-thirds of Londoners backed removing vehicles from Oxford Street, along with major companies such as Selfridges, John Lewis and Ikea.
Some 6,642 people responded to the consultation launched by the Greater London Authority between February and May. Of these, 66 per cent supported plans to pedestrianise the area, according to the GLA.
The results were in line with separate polling of London residents by YouGov last year, which found 63 per cent in favour of the project.
City Hall said the thoroughfare was of “critical national economic importance” and contributed £25bn to London’s economy annually but had suffered from the Covid-19 pandemic and the growth of online shopping and out-of-town retail parks.
It said officials would develop detailed traffic proposals to pedestrianise almost a mile of road from Orchard Street to Great Portland Street.
Khan said that “urgent action” is needed to “give our nation’s high street a new lease of life”.
“It’s clear that the vast majority of Londoners and major businesses back our exciting plans, so I’m pleased to confirm that we will now be moving ahead as quickly as possible,” he added.
“We want to rejuvenate Oxford Street; establish it as a global leader for shopping, leisure and outdoor events with a world-class, accessible, pedestrianised avenue.”
Karim Fatehi, chief executive of the London Chamber of Commerce, said the plans could “unlock the latent potential” of Oxford Street to make it a thriving destination.
Kate Nicholls, head of UKHospitality, welcomed the regeneration plans and said the area had “enormous” potential as a global destination for hospitality, leisure and tourism.
Westminster council in 2018 blocked plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street, and has cited practical concerns around traffic, public transportation and access for disabled people. Much of the street is already closed to traffic except buses and taxis for most of the week.
But Adam Hug, council leader, said today that Khan’s decision was “far from unexpected” and said it was now important for the authority to co-operate.
“Westminster council will work constructively with the mayor’s team to ensure the nation’s high street is reimagined in a way that works for visitors, shoppers, and our residents,” he said.
Danielle Percy, partner at Bidwells, a property consultancy, said that pedestrianisation would help London to “play catch-up” with other leading global cities as footfall still lags behind pre-pandemic levels.
Data visualisation by Cleve Jones
