The planters on Oxford Street have been allowed to wither and die, a year after responsibility for them passed from Westminster City Council to the Mayor of London's teams, the Westminster Extra has reported. The news came a day after the Mayor confirmed that almost a kilometre of Oxford Street, from Orchard Street to Great Portland Street, will close to traffic from 26 October, and accused the council of failing to be "decent custodians" of the street.
Cllr Tim Barnes, Deputy Leader of Westminster City Council and Cabinet Member for Growth and Planning, said: "We have had a lot of questions about why the plants on Oxford Street have been allowed to die. Taking care of them, mostly ensuring they are watered, was the job of Westminster City Council until a year ago. It was handed over to the mayor's teams in line with other responsibilities. But they didn't have a contract with anyone to take care of the plants and didn't do it themselves, so they have all been allowed to die."
He added: "In the grand scheme of things, it's a small issue. But it's a very visible example of how not being ready can lead to things going wrong. Managing a space like Oxford Street requires hundreds of things to be provided for, from plant watering to street cleaning. If we are going to pedestrianise it, let's take the time to get it right. At the moment it's just being rushed. I am all for deadlines to get things to happen but false ones can lead to unnecessary problems and things going wrong. Like dead plants."
Transport for London said planting along Oxford Street had suffered because of extreme heat, like many planting schemes across the capital, and that the upcoming transformation would bring new planting that is more resilient to hot weather.
You can read Tom Foot's article in the Westminster Extra in full here.
