Oxford Street Could Be Pedestrianised And Get Its Own Planning Body

London’s most famous retail thoroughfare could be pedestrianised and a new body set up with planning powers for the area, according to plans unveiled by city and national government. 

London Mayor Sadiq Khan and the new Labour government said they are working toward the pedestrianisation of Oxford Street, an idea that has been floated for more than 20 years without coming to fruition. 

The mayor’s office and government said they would start the process of creating a mayoral development corporation that would be given planning powers for Oxford Street and the surrounding areas. An MDC was created to bring forward the 2012 Olympic Park in east London.

The move would see planning powers taken away from Westminster Council, which has reacted warily to the proposal. The council is controlled by Labour but opposed the pedestrianisation of the street under previous Conservative rule. 

Where buses that travel along the street are rerouted is a key question. The statement from the mayor’s office did not stipulate a timeline for the pedestrianision. 

Council figures say more than 500,000 people visit Oxford Street every day, and as of 2019, it generated about 5% of the capital’s economic output. 

The plans for pedestrianisation come in response to perceptions that the reputation of Oxford Street has suffered over the past decade. The shopping street is home to an increasing number of empty storefronts and shops selling cheap candy and souvenirs. 

Several of the large department stores on the street have closed and will be replaced by more than 2B SF of offices. The street is still home to the famous Selfridges department store and the flagship store of John Lewis, part of which is being repurposed as offices. Ikea is opening a new store in the former Topshop flagship on Oxford Circus. 

“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,” Khan said in a statement. “Urgent action is needed to give the nation’s most famous high street a new lease of life.”

Designation of the proposed MDC is subject to statutory consultation and consideration by the London Assembly, the mayor’s office said. 

On London reported that could include areas near Tottenham Court Road, which would see the MDC take over planning powers from Camden Council as well.