Shoppers and workers have shared their views on the Mayor of London’s proposal to partially pedestrianise Oxford Street.
Shoppers the BBC’s Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) spoke to along the popular shopping strip were broadly supportive of Sadiq Khan ’s plans to ban traffic between Oxford Circus and Marble Arch but questioned whether it would work.
Michael Atkinson, 32, who is visiting from Australia said the plans “make sense” but questioned how people would get around within the pedestrianised area. He said: “Because I’m not from here I’ve got to think about which side the cars are coming from because in Australia they come from the left. In some places they come from the right.
“So, blocking cars will help tourists walk around and feel safer but you do need them to get around.”
Monica Sanchez, 50, visits Oxford Street every fortnight to go shopping. She said she feels “50/50” about the proposal. She said: “Anything that reduces traffic is good but how do people then travel?”
Monica also backed Westminster City Council’s proposal to instead introduce wider footpaths and green spaces but favoured the Mayor’s approach. She said: “London is a big city. There are a lot of cars, traffic and noise. If they did more greenery and pedestrianisation, that would be good. There aren’t many pedestrianised places in London.”
Lloyd Edmonds, 65, has been a street performer for 20 years. He said he is worried fewer people will want to shop on Oxford Street under Sadiq Khan’s plans because they have no way of getting down the street easier if they have bags of shopping.
He said: “It’s not a good idea. There will be less shoppers, less people walking on Oxford Street.” Lloyds said Westminster City Council’s plan “was more like it”.
Phong Ho, 44, said any plans to reduce car fumes on Oxford Street was “a positive thing for me”. She said: “I love the idea personally. I’ve lived in cities where there has been pedestrianisation and I think it’s a good thing for the environment, it’s good for our health, and genuinely, I like how it looks”.
The HR worker, who visits the office on Oxford Street at least twice a week, said any plans to modernise the street shouldn’t impact the surrounding traffic and areas.
Zehra Dara, 24, who uses a wheelchair, said she hopes Sadiq Khan can make Oxford Street easier to get around for people with disabilities.
She said: “Right now Oxford Street is a bit crowded, as you can tell. There are a lot of steps and uneven roads so it’s quite hard for me to go around in my chair. I feel quite uneasy, quite unsafe sometimes and if I’m by myself I wouldn’t be able to go around. And it’s also people are inconsiderate sometimes.”
‘It will be difficult for people to travel’
Businesses the LDRS spoke to said they had mixed feelings about the scheme. Ahmed Khalil, 25, a shop assistant at a souvenir shop on Oxford Street called Rockaway, said pedestrianising parts of Oxford Street should be coupled with allowing delivery drivers and suppliers to use the street late at night.
Ahmed said: “Completely stopping the buses, the cars, that will be difficult for people to travel.”
Mercy Sagbale, 29, said it “makes more sense” to keep traffic flowing through Oxford Street. The duty manager at the restaurant 25-80 Oxford Street is worried banning cars may negatively impact how her restaurant receives stock.
She said: “People will not be able to get their stock as often. [Like] most of the restaurants in central, we get our deliveries on a daily basis, sometimes 2 and 3 days. Bringing deliveries and stock will be way more difficult but in general.”
Mercy said she hopes pedestrianisation will bring more customers to the less-explored areas off Oxford Street, where her restaurant is located. She said: “People will be able to walk around and see the business more. They will see what we’ve got, especially in areas that they don’t usually walk towards on a normal day. They’ll walk and say this is here, let’s try this.”
She also said businesses shouldn’t be asked to pitch into the project financially saying many are still struggling with the economic impacts of Covid lockdowns. She said: “A lot of businesses aren’t doing well, especially this summer. The business, things haven’t been going very well. I feel it’s fair enough for the Government to pay for it and they should leave businesses out of it to pay for it.”
But City Hall said the Mayor’s proposal would “turn Oxford Street into a more attractive and thriving modern retail and leisure destination” attracting more tourists, increasing footfall and spending. They claimed it would also boost capital’s night-time economy. Beyond banning traffic from the area and plans to introduce more changes towards Tottenham Court Road in future, it is not clear what precisely the proposal would entail.
Mr Khan’s team says previously plans had been blocked by Conservative-run Westminster Council in 2018. The council changed hands to Labour in 2022. A spokesperson for the Mayor said: “Oxford Street was once the jewel in the crown of Britain’s retail sector but there is no doubt that it has suffered in recent years and urgent action is needed to give the iconic high street a new lease of life.
“This is why the Mayor has announced bold new plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street, to increase visitor numbers and encourage people to stay longer, boosting growth in London and around the country. Plans for this exciting project will be developed in collaboration with businesses, residents and other stakeholders, to ensure the project can best serve all Londoners, and build a better, fairer and greener London for everyone.”
The plans require Mr Khan to receive permission from Angela Rayner as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to establish a new Mayoral Development Corporation, which would have greater planning powers. This would be subject to a consultation.
The project is expected to cost around £150 million, with City Hall officials hoping it could be paid for by a combination of local businesses, new revenue streams and private funders, reports PA. Restrictions already in place mean between 7am and 7pm vehicular access to parts of Oxford Street is limited to taxis and buses, except on Sundays.
‘It was only shared with us last Thursday’
Stuart Love, the chief executive of Westminster City Council, said the Mayor’s proposal had only been presented to the council last Thursday. He said “further details” including how City Hall will deliver the project, how long it will take, and how concerns from local residents and users would be addressed were required.
He said: “We will want to know how they will benefit from any proposals, particularly given the practical challenges pedestrianisation may have for the wider area. As a custodian of the West End, our role will be to ensure that local voices are heard loud and clear.”
The central London council has so far led the transformation of Oxford Street with its own £90m plan, which the LDRS understand would be paid for by Oxford Street landowners, with their agreement. The scheme was ready to go and had the backing of local residents and businesses, the LDRS also understands.
It included improved public spaces, wider footways, improved seating, more trees and other planting, attractive lighting, clearer signage and reduced congestion across the area. Labour for Westminster echoed those remarks in a statement published on Monday.
The local Labour group said City Hall must share how it plans to overcome the “practical challenges” of pedestrianisation for the wider area. The group, which has promised to work constructively with the Mayor and the Government, said: “Information about today’s scheme and announcement by the Mayor have emerged very recently as part of the new Government’s growth agenda.
“While it has only been shared with us in the last few days, there needs to be significant consultation where we will work hard to influence what comes next on behalf of local people.” Westminster City opposition leader Paul Swaddle said: “This is about listening to local residents, and the impacts of any proposal.”
The local Conservative leader added: “The plans we drew up in 2018 reflected that and have broadly been continued under Labour. The revised, yet to be revealed, plans remove all control from the locally elected Council, and local voices simply won’t be heard. Westminster City Council and [council leader] Adam Hug need to stand up and fight this.”
