Is someone at City Hall ‘flying a kite’ about Mayor Khan’s Oxford Street development area?

OnLondon news site, run by journalist Dave Hill, yesterday published an image purporting to show a map of where Sadiq Khan “might set the boundary of his control of Oxford Street and its surroundings in order to deliver his pedestrianisation plan”.

Hill says very little about how he got hold of the image but he suggests that it originated from someone at City Hall and is based on a report published in 2018.

“As its press release about the pedestrianisation plan implied, City Hall’s thinking appears to be that the [Mayoral Development Corporation] would encompass part of Camden as well as a chunk of Westminster, taking in St Giles Circus and also Tottenham Court Road almost far north as Goodge Street station, along with some smaller streets in Fitzrovia to its west,” comments Hill.

Is someone at City Hall flying a kite?

Despite questions from the leader of Westminster Council and a number of London Assembly members, Sadiq Khan has said little about any of the details of his proposed Mayoral Development Area.

However, this week, in response to questions from London Assembly members Khan put forward some of his possible intentions.

“I am considering pedestrianising Oxford Street by designating it a GLA Road which means it will form part of the TfL Road Network. This would be subject to consent by the relevant London borough or the Secretary of State. If it was designated as a GLA Road, it will enable TfL to carry out the necessary works to pedestrianise Oxford Street,” he responded in reply to Andrew Boff (Conservative).

In response to a question by Caroline Russell (Green) he said:

“My proposals for a Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC) for Oxford Street are at an early stage and are subject to consultation with the London Assembly and others. The exact powers to be given to the MDC are yet to be determined but they will need to be aligned with my ambition of ensuring that the regeneration of Oxford Street secures the maximum benefits for London, residents and businesses in the area.”

In response to a question by Hina Bokhari (Liberal Democrats) he said:

“My officers are working with Westminster City Council and the LB of Camden and will be engaging with residents, businesses, accessibility groups and visitor organisations as we put together the full plans including details of funding options and responsibilities. The scheme design will consider many important factors including traffic management, access for older and disabled Londoners, servicing of businesses, and innovative mobility approaches to ensure that everyone can benefit from this scheme.”

But so far Khan has not provided answers to questions about the impact on bus and taxis and displacement of motor traffic into the surrounding streets. Instead, the Assembly Members have been told that “officers are drafting a response” to the outstanding questions.

This article was updated on 19 October 2024 to include a response by the Mayor to a question from Hina Bokhari.