Oxford Street pedestrianisation to be more extensive says Mayor of London

The long-discussed, legislated-for, rejected and relaunched pedestrianisation of London’s Oxford Street will happen and will even be more extensive than originally suggested, according to the prime mover in the plan, the Mayor of London. 

While the entire street won’t be closed to traffic, Sir Sadiq Khan is pressing ahead with the plan after saying a nine-week consultation from residents and businesses saw two-thirds in favour, a result he called “overwhelming”.

London newspaper the Standard said the £150 million plan will now move on to detailed solutions on how best to remove or divert 16 bus routes from almost a mile of the street. The proposals will be published later this year but the actual changes may not happen until 2027 or later. However, with he Mayor’s third term ending in 2028, he’ll be keen to get everything in place by then.

So what do we know so far? The area to be pedestrianised will go further east than originally expected, reaching as far as Great Portland Street with the western boundary being Orchard Street, or between the Selfridges flagship and the soon-to-be-redeveloped M&S Marble Arch.

A Mayoral Development Corporation will be established by January, taking on the planning and money-raising powers currently held by Westminster and Camden councils.

However, not everyone is happy. Despite support from retailers such as Selfridges, John Lewis and Ikea, some residents are concerned that streets such as Wigmore Street and Mortimer Street will see unsustainably heavy traffic and that opposition is likely to continue.