A furious row has erupted over the pedestrianisation of Oxford Street with Sir Sadiq Khan being accused of a “democratic stitch-up” over the bitterly-fought development.
The Conservatives, who won back control of Westminster council at the May 7 local elections, tore into the London Mayor for what they called a “sham” consultation over the changes to the capital’s flagship shopping street.
They are angry that “permanent” traffic orders, to press ahead with the pedestrianiation, were advertised just a day after the local elections and that the time window to object to them had now run out.
“This is a stitch-up, plain and simple,” said Cllr Paul Swaddle, Tory Leader of Westminster City Council.
“The Mayor and TfL tried to force through permanent changes to the most famous shopping street in the world, the day after an election, in a consultation so quiet that the people whose livelihoods depend on Oxford Street never even knew it was happening.
“That is not how you treat the nation’s high street, and it is not how you treat Londoners.”
Under the Mayor’s plans, an estimated £150 million will be spent on making the busy road vehicle-free between Orchard Street and Great Portland Street.
The Mayor believes the pedestrianisation scheme will boost Oxford Street’s attractiveness to shoppers, visitors and tourists.
His office rejected the Tory accusations.
A City Hall spokesperson said: “Following strong support from Londoners and businesses, the Mayor is moving ahead with the pedestrianisation of Oxford Street and hopes to see the first section going traffic-free by the end of this summer.
“The Mayor will continue working closely with all stakeholders on these plans to create a vibrant, world-class, accessible destination, restoring the nation’s high street to its former glory as we build a better London for everyone.”
Westminster council, though, is demanding that Transport for London (TfL) pull the plug on the traffic orders immediately and rerun the consultation.
Outlining the timeline of the row, the Conservatives stressed:
* TfL became the highway and traffic authority for Oxford Street in September 2025, following the Mayor’s designation of the street as a Greater London Authority road.
* TfL is the authority responsible for making and consulting on the pedestrianisation orders.
* The orders were advertised via the London Gazette (notice 5130290) and TfL’s consultation portal, with an objection deadline of 29 May 2026.
* The orders are proposed as permanent under section 6 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, not experimental under section 9, so there is no statutory period of monitoring and review.
The Conservatives also accused the Mayor of “handing the future of the West End” to an unelected quango, the Oxford Street Development Corporation.
On the pedestrianisation scheme, Cllr Tim Barnes, Cabinet Member for Growth and Planning, said: “We will fight this every step of the way. TfL should scrap this discredited process and start again, properly and in the open.
“Anything less is an insult to the businesses and residents who actually make Oxford Street work.”
A previous plan by Sir Sadiq to pedestrianise Oxford Street was blocked in 2018 by the then-Conservative controlled Westminster council.
Regular motor vehicles are already banned from using Oxford Street and the plans to make the road vehicle-free will only change things, as they stand, for buses and taxis.
There could also be restrictions on cyclists.
A Transport for London (TfL) spokesperson said: “Following two extensive public consultations in 2025 and 2026, which asked the public about the principle of pedestrianisation as well as setting out the scope of the scheme and how traffic, including buses, would be diverted to allow this, we have begun the statutory traffic order process to implement this scheme.
“We followed the standard process for making the traffic orders which includes publishing a notice and sending emails to statutory consultees such as Westminster City Council.”
