London’s Oxford Street could finally be pedestrianised, according to new plans announced by city mayor Sadiq Khan, following years of debate about how to revitalise the area.
The mayor’s office said that the plans include “turning the road into a traffic-free pedestrianised avenue, creating a beautiful public space.”
Oxford Street receives more than 500,000 visitors every day, according to the statement, and is home to flagship stores such as Selfridges and John Lewis.
But the world-famous shopping strip has faced challenges in recent years. Tourism numbers have not fully recovered since the pandemic, according to the mayor’s office. Some flagship stores have also closed and the street has seen a proliferation of shops selling items like US-themed candy.
“Oxford Street was once the jewel in the crown of Britain’s retail sector, but there’s no doubt that it has suffered hugely over the last decade,” said the mayor in the statement. “Urgent action is needed to give the nation’s most famous high street a new lease of life.”
Khan, who is a member of the Labour party and won a third term as London mayor in May, has previously attempted to regenerate the area, but his plans were blocked by Westminster City Council, which is responsible for managing the local area.
London’s mayor is facing opposition to his resurrected plan to ban traffic from part of Oxford Street, which he says is backed by the new Labour government.
Sadiq Khan’s proposals include pedestrianising the stretch between Marble Arch and Oxford Circus, with potential restrictions introduced further east towards Tottenham Court Road.
This follows the Labour mayor’s previous attempt to pedestrianise part of the world-famous shopping street in 2017, which was blocked by the then-Conservative local authority.
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4 Comments
whatever is British Kahn wants to ruin everything we have, he wants to make way for his Muslim people and those who are paying dirty money
That's just mental, people don't want it but the major is going to do it anyway.
15 minute cities 👀🤐
I think they should ban/close some of the streets/road in Soho instead, a lot of disabled people can't access those narrow streets. Oxford St is busy and is already widen. As a local you go to the street behind if it's too busy. Save the money for health care and supporting young businesses instead. People are not that fat yet to walk along the already widen pavement