There is much to like about the mayor of London’s proposals for Oxford Street. The last decade has seen ambitious pedestrianisation schemes in other European cities. But the capital’s busiest shopping street has, until now, held out. Currently, about 16 different bus routes use it, although not private cars during the day. Diverting them, and turning this east-west artery into a walking zone to rival Barcelona’s Ramblas – as Sadiq Khan says is his aim – is an attractive prospect. Competition from internet retailers and London’s two giant Westfield centres means there is broad agreement that the West End must adapt to survive.
The street’s future is obviously of most pressing interest to Londoners. But Oxford Street is also a tourist destination, and the government’s approach to the public realm here has wider significance. An ambitious pedestrianisation scheme, with the aim of boosting spending, increasing rents and driving growth, has implications for other cities too.
Things have picked up since two years ago when the pandemic led to a severe slump, and a £6m Mound erected by Westminster council at Marble Arch failed to attract hoped-for crowds. There are fewer vacant shops, and action has been taken against proliferating American candy and souvenir shops with unpaid business rates. Further up, at Oxford Circus, Ikea is moving in. The spiral of decline feared by some has been averted.
This recent progress makes the failure to involve Westminster’s Labour council in last week’s announcement surprising. The party pulled off a coup in 2022 when it won control of the borough – long a Tory flagship – for the first time. Work on the council’s own scheme for the area, which included wider pavements but stopped short of blocking vehicle access, was about to begin. Councillors are dismayed that their work, including extensive consultation with residents, looks set to be binned.
The mayor has history with both Westminster council and its Tory neighbour, Kensington and Chelsea. An earlier Oxford Street project collapsed acrimoniously, and there have been repeated clashes over transport priorities. His own project will be delivered via a mayoral development corporation – similar to those already in operation in the Olympic Park and Old Oak Common railway area. This gives the mayor special powers over regeneration which supersede borough-level democratic control.
Mr Khan’s ambitions for Oxford Street are laudable. Putting the needs of pedestrians before those of motorists is generally a good idea. London’s parks are second to none and its riverside spaces are much loved. More traffic-free roads could enhance the capital further. Other cities have shown that such schemes can work.
In a central location such as Oxford Street, the interests and opinions of local residents have to be balanced against other factors. Tourism in the capital is of national importance. But local people and politicians should not be treated as an irrelevance. Opponents of pedestrianisation have their reasons – including the peace in neighbouring streets that they want to preserve. Big pedestrian areas in city centres require careful management, particularly in our age of “overtourism”. So far, there is little detail about funding, or how the space will be run in the longer term.
There is no doubt that Oxford Street should be improved. As the city’s elected leader, the mayor has a strong mandate to oversee this. But he cannot do it on his own.
