The Conservative leader of Westminster City Council, Cllr Paul Swaddle OBE, has accused the Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, of "cheating the system" over plans to pedestrianise part of Oxford Street, BBC News has reported. Cllr Swaddle said the Mayor had shortcut the process by not carrying out a full environmental impact assessment. The Government confirmed on 4 September that the plans did not require one, and Transport for London says work will now begin imminently, with the first section closed to traffic as early as October.
Speaking to BBC Radio London as part of its "Meet the Leader" series, Cllr Swaddle said:
"Every major development in London has an environmental impact assessment.
"What the mayor has done is shortcut that process.
"He has cheated the system, not done the thorough process that every other development has to do."
He said he was not predicting harm, adding:
"Let's look at what the impact is and let's make sure it's mitigated where it can be."
He also said local residents knew the street better than many of the scheme's supporters:
"A lot of the people who are saying it should be pedestrianised don't know any of the impacts.
"They don't understand that it's going to cause this problem or that problem because they just don't go to it in the same way as our residents do."
A spokesperson for the Mayor said:
"... the Mayor is moving forward with the pedestrianisation of Oxford Street. Enabling works will begin imminently, with the first section expected to become traffic-free as early as October. The mayor will continue to work closely with the council and other stakeholders."
The Conservatives took control of Westminster City Council from Labour in May, and Cllr Swaddle said during the campaign that the Oxford Street scheme was a major issue for voters.
You can listen to the interview in full via BBC Sounds here.
