Our plans for Oxford Street
We are taking a more focused approach to delivering improvements for Oxford Street.
Our new proposals will prioritise reviving Oxford Street itself and a number of surrounding areas with a combination of council and private sector funding.
The scope of the works, extending from Marble Arch to Tottenham Court Road, will respond to the changing needs and interests of residents, visitors and businesses.
We will deliver a better-quality public realm, improving pedestrian comfort and safety, and ensuring that Oxford Street remains an attractive, diverse hub of activity and culture.
To succeed in delivering a regenerated Oxford Street we will communicate and engage with local stakeholders facilitated by a new governance approach including an Oxford Street Advisory Board.
FAQs about what this means for Oxford Street.
Our latest statement
An update from Cllr Geoff Barraclough, Cabinet Member for Planning and Environment, on plans to improve Oxford Street:
A new, streamlined approach will be taken to the way the Council invests taxpayers’ money in the Oxford Street area. Over the past few months, we have been looking at the previous Oxford Street District programme and assessing how best to proceed with improvements and reap the potential benefits for the area, including from the full opening of the Elizabeth Line.
The council’s capital funding, together with that from our private-sector partners will now be directed to prioritise and deliver fundamental public realm improvements on Oxford Street itself. These will include, for example, making permanent wider pavements, well positioned seating, additional and attractive greening as well as enhanced lighting alongside strategic interventions to revive the fabric of the nation’s high street.
Oxford Street needs better public realm, pedestrian comfort, and safety. It must also remain an attractive, diverse hub of activity and culture that serves the changing needs and interests of residents, visitors and businesses alike. To help achieve this there will also be some supplementary schemes to improve the area. Together, these will facilitate the delivery of the complete vision we have for the regeneration of Oxford Street.
We will do this at pace, mindful of the urgent need to take action to safeguard the economic well-being of the West End. Refocusing the programme on Oxford Street itself will enable us to quickly deliver the improvements that are most needed for the area.
To succeed in delivering the long-term vision for Oxford Street the support of local communities, both residential and businesses as well as other key partners, will be necessary. As such, works will need to be conducted efficiently, minimising disruption to residents and visitors.
The council will work hard to create a new governance and engagement approach, including the establishment of a new Oxford Street advisory board made up of businesses and residents that will help guide the project over the coming months and years. This approach lies at the heart of our council wide approach to delivering a Fairer Westminster and we expect the board to meet for the first time before the end of the year.
Alongside the public realm improvements, we will continue to work with landowners to encourage innovative use of underused retail spaces as we have been doing successfully with our pop-up programme. The successful enforcement and other action that has taken place on the street, including tackling the spread of candy stores, will continue.
We believe Oxford Street has a bright future. We will achieve this by focused activity that will make a real and discernible difference, and that, most importantly, delivers for our communities and value for money for all residents.
Published: 10 October 2022