This article originally appeared in The Standard on 8 January. You can read in full here.
A key member of Sir Sadiq Khan’s new Oxford Street quango dropped a bombshell within minutes of the start of its first meeting by declaring: “I wish we weren’t here.”
Adam Hug, the Labour leader of Westminster council, made clear to fellow board members of the Oxford Street development corporation that Sir Sadiq’s decision to seize control of Oxford Street had derailed the council’s own plans to regenerate the nation’s most famous high street.
“We would rather this body didn’t exist and we weren’t here,” Mr Hug said, only minutes after Sir Sadiq said his description of the new board was: “Avengers Assemble!”
Mr Hug also rejected suggestions from other board members that Oxford Street continued to suffer a post-pandemic hangover, saying it had already “bounced back” with new stores opening and shoppers returning.
Mr Hug told the development corporation’s inaugural meeting at City Hall on Wednesday afternoon: “We need to be clear that, while we all have ambitions for the future, Oxford Street has bounced back after the pandemic.
“Obviously it’s a well-known public fact that we had a different vision for the delivery of the transformation on Oxford Street.
“However, we are agreed on the need for transformation - despite the fact we would rather this body didn’t exist and we weren’t here - and we are going to make it pragmatically work in the interests of local residents, local businesses and London as a whole.”
Labour mayor Sir Sadiq has chosen not to sit on the board, which will oversee his proposed part-pedestrianisation of Oxford Street by claiming planning powers previously held by Westminster and Camden councils.
But he made a five-minute opening address to the meeting, in which he said there was “such goodwill towards Oxford Street”, where he said in his younger years he spent “too many hours having a great time”.
Sir Sadiq added: “If we are honest, over decades, a combination of the pandemic and the invention of shopping on the internet and great alternative shopping malls, there has been a decline of Oxford Street.
“What we have to do is to try and get Oxford Street back to its former glories – and some.”
He told the board members: “I am going to call you Avengers Assemble. For those of you know these movies, these are where superheroes come together to save the planet.
“I think the job you have got is really exciting. Thanks for stepping up. It’s really important that we regenerate this part of our great city.
“When you think about the potential of Oxford Street, when you think about the history, being on this development corporation should be not just huge fun for you all but a real feather in your cap.”
Mr Hug’s comments came after chairman Scott Parsons told the board: “Please note, this meeting is being webcast, so you have to behave.”
The 13-member board includes chef and restaurateur Asma Khan, theatre and concert designer Es Devlin and former Arsenal managing director Keith Edelman.
