The Mayor must not rush through his Oxford Street scheme, writes Westminster Business Council

20 September 2024, 08:01

Sophie Shrubsole, chief executive of Westminster Business Council, insists any plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street need to earn the support of the business community.

At Westminster Business Council (WBC), we are always supportive of any detailed, fully costed plan designed to bring investment to our area.

As a result, it is concerning that the announcement by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, of his proposal to pedestrianise Oxford Street left the local council feeling blindsided.

Westminster City Council (WCC) has worked in partnership for some time with local landowners, businesses, residents and other stakeholders in considering practical improvements for Europe’s busiest shopping street.

The council already has a shovel-ready plan that would deliver wider footways and reduce congestion to the benefit of the half a million people who visit Oxford Street each day.

The Mayor’s announcement clearly goes much further. But any large infrastructure plans that fundamentally change traffic routes and affect businesses and residents must be discussed and brought to fruition with the full support of WCC.

WBC, a community of more than 10,000 business owners, also believes that local businesses must be front and centre of all consultations and strategic discussions as any such scheme moves forward.

Naturally, WBC and its members, in common with all 60,000 businesses in the city of Westminster, want to see investment and growth in our area. As part of that desire, we welcome any developments that deliver high-quality shopping and hospitality experiences.

There are several challenges that must be considered, however, before our community will be reassured that the pedestrianisation of Oxford Street is a totally positive move.

Oxford Street has been a powerful magnet for shoppers for well over 200 years – and we are not alone in the borough in our belief that it has both the profile and the potential to continue to attract visitors for many decades to come.

That is why the Mayor’s plan – the latest in a series of proposals through the years to pedestrianise Oxford Street – must not be rushed through against the concerns of the local council and business community.

In the circumstances, it is only right that the local business community be brought on board and convinced that this scheme will make a positive difference to the area and the wider London economy.

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Sophie Shrubsole is the chief executive of Westminster Business Council.

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