The pedestrianisation of Oxford Street is set to go ahead, with Transport for London (TfL) now planning how it will remove road traffic from the busy shopping street. In 2025, the Mayor consulted on his proposal to designate a Mayoral Development Area and establish a Mayoral Development Corporation to drive the regeneration of Oxford Street
Since then, there have been a couple of consultations on the Mayor’s plan to take control of the area from Westminster Council, and although pedestrianising the street was not explicitly in the questionnaires, it was raised often enough that pedestrianisation will go ahead.
Following this, the Mayor has authorised TfL to take the necessary steps to remove traffic from Oxford Street between Great Portland Street and Orchard Street. That’s basically Selfridges in the west to just past Oxford Circus in the east.
Addressing the issue of access for people with disabilities, TfL acknowledged that its proposals could have some negative impacts, but that these would often be offset by the much wider pedestrian space, reducing crowding and making it easier for mobility-impaired people to move around.
Where bus stops would be relocated, TfL’s proposals sought to ensure they would be located close to Oxford Street.
Now that the go ahead has been given, once final designs are approved, the first stage will be enabling works on both Oxford Street and on some surrounding roads to move bus stops and minor road layout changes.
Then the buses will be redirected to their new routes, and other vehicles will be prohibited from using Oxford Street between Great Portland Street and Orchard Street. An interim scheme to raise the road to pavement height and add more seating will be followed later by the full paving and layout designs.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, will provide more information on the next steps next week.
In the coming months, TfL will work with Westminster Council to implement changes to the roads around Oxford Street to enable the proposed bus changes. They will also begin work along Oxford Street to prepare the road between Orchard Street and Great Portland Street for pedestrianisation.
Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, 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.
“Following TfL’s detailed consultation, I’ve today made the decision to move ahead with these exciting changes to the nation’s high street. We will outline more details in the coming days, as we continue building a better more prosperous London for everyone.”
The full consultation report is here.
