After decades of rumours and blocked attempts at making Oxford Street a car-free zone, it looks like the plans could finally be going ahead. On Tuesday, 17 September 2024, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan announced in an Instagram post that the government is “announcing exciting new plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street”.
Plans have been in the works for years, and efforts were doubled down after the significant impact of Covid on the city’s retail hubs. In the years since the pandemic, we’ve seen closures from retail titans such as Debenhams and House of Fraser and a slower return to pre-Covid tourism levels, serving to further emphasise the need for “major regeneration”, claims Khan via london.gov.
Future plans for Oxford StreetGreater London Authority
The Mayor hopes that the plan for “a revitalised, pedestrianised Oxford Street would increase visitor numbers, create new jobs and boost growth in London and across the UK” and lead the street to “once again become the leading retail destination in the world.”
“I am excited to be working with the new Government, and local retailers and businesses, on these plans – that will help to restore this famous part of the capital to its former glory, while creating new jobs and economic prosperity for the capital and the country.”
Attempts at pedestrianising the street have been in discussion for decades. The Guardian reports that in the 1960s, there was a “plan to carry shoppers via a travelator” and following that “a 1970s scheme for a track carrying cars on air cushions failed to take off”. Since then, “traffic has been incrementally limited since proposals for pedestrianisation under the former London mayor Ken Livingstone were knocked back two decades ago”.
Future plans for Oxford StreetGreater London Authority
Westminster City Council has been blocking plans for fears of the chaos involved in rerouting buses, but since the Labour government was voted in, the Mayor has finally received the backing he needed. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Raynor says, “Oxford Street is a world-renowned shopping destination and we want it to stay that way. By working with the Mayor and local leaders, we can ensure it gets the boost it needs.”
Khan added: “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. Urgent action is needed to give the nation’s most famous high street a new lease of life”.
