Oxford Street, one of the most famous and frequented streets in Londonis at the centre of an ambitious project that could completely transform it. The mayor of the British capital, Sadiq Khan, has expressed the desire to pedestrianise the famous shopping artery, crossed every day by over 500,000 people. The proposal arises from the need to redevelop the areawhich in recent years, especially after Covid, has suffered an economic and commercial decline, with the closure of historic shops and the arrival of smaller businesses, often dedicated to the sale of souvenirs.
The challenges of the past and the new opportunity
In recent years, Several attempts to pedestrianise Oxford Street have been blocked by Westminster City Council, which has resisted for several reasons. However, this could change with the new plan from the Metropolitan Borough Council. According to official statements, the City Council has been working on its own vision for the pedestrianizationtrying to reconcile the needs of traders, the local community and economic growth.
How Oxford Street will change
The project does not only include close Oxford Street to car trafficbut also of improve the whole area, making it greener and more sustainable. Sadiq Khan aims to transform the neighborhood into a livable pedestrian area, with green spaces and infrastructure that encourages sustainable mobility. The main goal is to revitalize the retail sector, attract new investments and give a new life to the shopping street par excellence.
Next steps for pedestrianising Oxford Street
The idea of turning Oxford Street into a pedestrian zone has been at the centre of debate since 2006, when the Mayor of London Ken Livingstone a first plan was put forward to ban traffic and introduce a tram along the street. However, with the arrival of Boris Johnsonthe projects were shelved: the then mayor focused on solutions to reduce traffic, rather than eliminate it altogether. In 2016, towards the end of his term, Johnson returned to consider the idea of pedestrianization, but did not implement it.
The most concrete initiative was brought forward by Sadiq Khan himself, who proposed closing part of Oxford Street to traffic by 2018. Despite public support, the project was blocked by the Westminster Councilwho cited concerns from local residents. Today, it appears that the project is finally taking shape and can be launched, but not before the necessary bureaucratic steps are completed and final approval is received from the City Council.
Despite the challenges, enthusiasm for this change is palpable, with many traders seeing the plan as an opportunity to restore Oxford Street to its former glory. Work is expected to begin within the next two years, ushering in a new era for this historic London street.
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