Plans to ban all traffic on Oxford Street were revealed by the Mayor of London yesterday.
Sadiq Khan will work with the new Government, retailers and local businesses to revive the 1.1km stretch of road which has struggled since the pandemic and the rise of online shopping.
He said: “I want Oxford Street to once again become the leading retail destination in the world.”
Khan will establish a Mayoral Development Corporation, endowed with planning powers and the ability to overrule the council.
The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Angela Rayner, backed the Oxford Street traffic ban.
She said: “This plan to revitalise Oxford Street will drive growth by creating new jobs, generating economic activity, and giving a much-needed boost to London’s night-time economy.”
However, Oxford Street kiosk owners expressed discontent with the decision.
Maria Frankham, the owner of Oxford Street Caffé, thinks the initiative is a waste of money.
The funds would be better spent fighting crime, which she said she encounters every day while manning the kiosk.
Frankham added that there are many consequences to pedestrianising a street, and showed doubt that banning traffic would decrease air pollution.
She said: “I thought that’s what ULEZ and congestion charges were meant to do. The congestion will not disappear, the traffic will be pushed somewhere else.
“Labour are meant to be for the small businesses and people.
“People may not visit anymore and I have families that rely on my business and employment.”
She echoed Mohammed’s concerns, an employee at a kiosk selling falafel, who said that foot traffic may even decrease.
He said: “On days when the street is closed to traffic we get no-one in.”
Mohammed also expressed concerns about a lack of cover from rain in the area, making it unlikely people will venture far from underground stations.
Peter Ruis, the CEO of John Lewis, voiced his support for the plans and announced additional investment into their flagship Oxford Street store, founded in 1864.
He said: “We’re delighted to see the plans announced today to transform ‘the nation’s high street’ and look forward to welcoming even more visitors to London’s West End.”
The CEO of New West End Company, a business partnership representing over 600 West End businesses, has expressed the partner’s support for the initiative.
Oxford Street generates 3% of the nation’s economic output but has been struggling with many of its retailers being replaced by American candy shops and souvenir boutiques.