Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary Angela Rayner has been drawn into the dispute over the Mayor of London's plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street, after Westminster City Council wrote to her department demanding a full assessment of the scheme's economic and environmental effects. The council fears the project is being rushed through without proper consideration of whether it will create gridlocked roads and noise disruption across the wider West End, after Transport for London sought permission from Rayner's department to forgo a full impact assessment, as reported in The Daily Telegraph.
Tim Barnes, Deputy Leader of Westminster City Council, said: "The Mayor is trying to cut corners when it comes to ensuring this plan is safe for Londoners. That's cheating them of the reassurances they are entitled to, and the Government should not let him get away with it."
The Mayor took control of Oxford Street from the council in 2024 through a mayoral development area backed by the Labour Government, leading to the creation of an Oxford Street Development Corporation earlier this year. A spokesman for the Mayor said he "will continue working closely with the council and all other stakeholders" on the plans, while the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government confirmed it had received TfL's request and would "provide an update in due course." The first section of Oxford Street is expected to become traffic-free as soon as October.
Rayner warned Khan’s Oxford Street plan risks traffic chaos
Westminster council says scheme will have knock-on effects for drivers across London
Cllr Tim Barnes, Westminster council’s deputy leader, said:
“London deserves a world-class shopping district at its centre, and instead we’re headed for an unmanaged mess with noisy, gridlocked roads, poor air quality and waste in the streets.
“Our position on pedestrianisation is simple: if you must [do] it, get it right. A needlessly rushed scheme will be a disaster for residents and worse for business.
“This scheme will have an impact way beyond Oxford Street, affecting bus routes and traffic flow right across the capital.
“The Mayor is trying to cut corners when it comes to ensuring this plan is safe for Londoners.
“That’s cheating them of the reassurances they are entitled to, and the Government should not let him get away with it.”
Read Pui-Guan Man's article in full on The Daily Telegraph's website.
