Oxford Street Update

Following the Mayor’s announcement last year on plans to revitalise Oxford Street, a statutory public consultation was recently held, inviting feedback from the public and stakeholders on the proposal to designate the area as a Mayoral Development Area (MDA), establish a Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC), and consider the principle of pedestrianisation of Oxford Street.

The consultation received over 6,000 responses, with almost 70% expressing support for the establishment of the MDC, and two-thirds supporting pedestrianisation in principle. The consultation report can be viewed here.

The Mayor will now proceed with plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street, with further consultations expected later this year, and will formally notify the London Assembly of the intention to designate the MDA and establish the MDC to take the regeneration forward.

Baker Street Quarter Partnership remains supportive of future improvements to Oxford Street, to ensure it becomes a positive neighbour to Marylebone. To achieve this, it is essential that any plans for Oxford Street’s transformation carefully consider the following:

• Side streets – we are concerned that the side streets abutting Oxford Street – which form key links and gateways between Marylebone and Oxford Street – will deteriorate and not fulfil their potential to encourage footfall between the districts. Pedestrianisation could leave these streets dominated by bus stands, loading, taxi ranks, ebike parking, private hire and delivery vehicles.
• Management – pedestrianisation will require a well-funded management regime to ensure the street is safe, clean and well maintained. We would like reassurance that sufficient budget will be available on an ongoing basis to secure the required resources to achieve this.
• Traffic displacement – the potential displacement of vehicular traffic onto the streets surrounding Oxford Street is a concern that could also detract from the success of improvement on Oxford Street. We would like to understand the impact in relation to local traffic flows and air quality.

We will continue to monitor the next stages closely and keep our members updated as further details on the proposals and consultations are announced.

If you have questions regarding the Oxford Street Transformation project, you can contact the Oxford Street team directly at oxfordstreet@london.gov.uk or sign up for updates via the City Hall website.