Oxford Street pedestrianisation plans approved

Oxford Street pedestrianisation plans approved

Pedestrianisation of Oxford Street will now officially go ahead, following two consultations and final approval from the mayor

The pedestrianisation of London's Oxford Street has been given official final approval by Sir Sadiq Khan.

London's mayor has instructed Transport for London (TfL) to implement the proposals to remove traffic from Oxford Street between Great Portland Street and Orchard Street, City Hall said.

The decision follows the results of a second consultation on local traffic diversions in which 2,700 people responded. City Hall said the majority agreed with the plans.

It is hoped vehicles will be stopped from using the road by September, with further work to make the street more welcoming to pedestrians to follow, the governing body said.

The decision means Oxford Street will be closed to traffic between Orchard Street and Great Portland Street

The mayor of London says pedestrianisation will make Oxford Street safer and more enjoyable for visitors, as well as making it "a global leader for shopping, leisure and outdoor events," competing with cities such as Paris and New York.

An initial consultation on pedestrianisation of Oxford Street, which ended last summer, showed 63% of Londoners were in favour of the regeneration.

However, some local residents previously told the BBC they did not support the changes, citing concerns over displacement of traffic and buses, as well as disability access.

TfL said the pedestrianisation would go ahead as originally planned, with no changes being made to the plans previously consulted on.

For the stretch of Oxford Street between Orchard Street and Great Portland Street, this means:

It added it would continue to monitor the impact of the changes as they are made and would "consider whether any further revisions are appropriate".

An artist's impression of Oxford Street with no traffic

The mayor said: "I am delighted to be moving forward with my bold vision to transform Oxford Street into a world-leading urban space for shopping, leisure and outdoor events."

He added: "We will outline more details in the coming days, as we continue building a better more prosperous London for everyone."

Alex Williams, chief customer and strategy officer at TfL, said they would work closely with Westminster City Council to implement the changes.

City Hall says Oxford Street is an area of "critical national economic importance", with an estimated annual contribution of £25bn to London's economy

The council, which has previously opposed plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street, said its role was now to ensure the transformation worked for local communities as well as for London.

Its leader, Adam Hug, said: "Westminster Council's view on Oxford Street pedestrianisation is a matter of longstanding public record.

"Over the last 18 months we have secured a number of key improvements from the mayor of London's original plans to ensure that the proposals for Oxford Street are more deliverable and better meet the needs of local residents, businesses, and wider London.

"These include ensuring that Oxford Street East transformation will be delivered in line with Westminster's previous plans that retain bus access, and the council's retention of strategic development funding."

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