London mayor says traffic ban trial is start of ‘fightback to rescue Oxford Street’

The mayor of London has said a one-day trial banning traffic from part of Oxford Street marks “the day the fightback began to rescue this street”.

Sadiq Khan visited the street, where vehicles were prohibited from accessing a half-mile stretch of the road from Oxford Circus to Orchard Street between noon and 8pm on Sunday for the event called This is Oxford Street.

Speaking to the PA Media news agency, the mayor said Oxford Street had been “wonderful” in the past. “But the reality is, it has been in decline for some time,” he said.

“I’d call it managed decline. You’ve seen a situation where more and more people are shopping online or going to out-of-town centres, shopping centres, high-profile shops have left Oxford Street, and the pandemic was a real body blow to this street.

“Today is a glimpse to what the future could be like, where this is a place where people can walk. It increases footfall. It increases spend, (it will be a) great place to shop, to do leisure, but also have outdoor events.

“(Today) will go down in history, in my view, as the day the fightback began to rescue this street.”

Khan wants to ban vehicles from a 0.7-mile stretch between Oxford Circus and Marble Arch, with the potential for further changes towards Tottenham Court Road.

Detailed proposals for traffic under the pedestrianisation plan will be consulted on later this year.

The mayor said he “fully understands” the “minority of residents” who raised concerns over congestion and accessibility, and said the authority had consulted residents.

“We’re going to carry on not just working with residents and the council, but working with retailers, landowners and others to make sure we can return this street to its previous glory,” Khan said.

Asked if he had plans to pedestrianise more thoroughfares in the capital, the mayor said: “We’ve already worked with councils to pedestrianise parts of London, outside Somerset House. We’ve, this summer, invested in alfresco dining during the summer months.

“So we are working with the government so we can have more powers over licensing and so forth. I think hospitality, retail are really important sectors of our economy, but also, [they are] one of the reasons people love to come to London.”

Oxford Street is one of the world’s busiest shopping areas, with about half a million visitors each day.

A previous attempt by Khan to pedestrianise part of the street was blocked in 2018 by the then-Conservative-run Westminster city council.

His latest proposals depend on obtaining permission from the government to establish a new mayoral development corporation, which would provide planning powers. The aim is for this to be created by the start of next year.