Westminster City Council’s decision to hand over control of Oxford Street to the Greater London Authority (GLA) has been branded “scandalous” by a residents’ association and has been attacked by the Conservative opposition on the council.
This week a cabinet member report stated the GLA had requested that Westminster Council hand over “highway authority” control of Oxford Street to expedite the Mayor of London’s plans to pedestrianise the street.
In the report the council said it has limited powers to prevent the street being taken on by the GLA and that acting “proactively” will enable it to have a greater say in the Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan’s pedestrianisation plans.
The recommended decision to approve the GLA’s request without allowing for it to be called-in by councillors has however been severely criticised by two residents associations, and the Conservative opposition at the council.
At Wednesday’s meeting of the Full Council, leader of the Conservative group Councillor Paul Swaddle asked leader of the council Adam Hug why he had not “stood up for residents”?
Hug responded saying that the council had a taken a “pragmatic approach” which would bring long-term benefits.
Last autumn the Mayor announced plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street in a bid to revitalise the shopping district. But he did not consult Westminster Council in advance — setting the Labour group on the council up for an internecine conflict with Labour at London City Hall.
Upon the announcement of the Mayor’s plans last year, the council asked a series of questions including how any pedestrianisation scheme could be implemented without increasing congestion in the surrounding neighbourhoods and how it will protect access to the shopping district for older people and those with disabilities.
Few actual details have emerged but since then the Mayor has announced a car-free event on Oxford Street on 21 September, seen as a mini test-run of the wider project.
Concerns were again aired about the Mayor’s engagement with the local council, with it being claimed Westminster was given just an hour’s notice of the press release announcing the event.
A spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office described the allegations as “completely untrue”, adding they have been working closely with the council on the event and are in “constant communication” regarding wider pedestrianisation plans.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) has been told that the deputy mayor for planning, regeneration and the Fire Service, Jules Pipe, allegedly informed attendees at two public meetings on 9 September that the Mayor of London was to take control of Oxford Street.
The LDRS has been able to speak to someone connected to one of the events who said they also understood this to be the case.
The deputy mayor’s alleged comments came ahead of Westminster Council putting out any of its own communications or publishing its report detailing the recommended decision.
Since then the council’s report has been uploaded, which recommends Cllr Max Sullivan, cabinet member for streets, approve the GLA’s request.
The report states: “By agreeing to do this proactively, rather than refusing and waiting for the decision to be made by the Secretary of State, WCC will significantly improve our ability to influence what happens to Oxford Street and how. WCC will work pragmatically and constructively with the GLA to ensure the future success of Oxford Street and represent the interests of residents and businesses.
“Under section 14B(5) of the Highways Act 1980, the GLA has the option to seek Secretary of State approval, if WCC refused to give consent. This means that WCC’s power to refuse the GLA request would only be meaningful if the Secretary of State were to support such a refusal, which seems unlikely here, given the support for the project indicated by the Government.”
It is proposed that the GLA take control of Oxford Street from Marble Arch at its western end through to the junction with Tottenham Court Road, plus short stretches of certain side roads.
A number of changes have been made following engagement with the council, including that Westminster will be able to retain development funds collected in the area. The council will have three seats on the board of the Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC), which is to be established to manage the scheme.
The proposal has also been determined not to be a key decision due to it having “no significant financial implications and nor will it be significant in terms of its effects on communities living or working in two or more wards”. This means councillors cannot call it in to allow for further scrutiny to take place.
Michael Bolt, spokesman for The Marylebone Association, described the decision not to designate the request a key decision as ‘outrageous’.
“For Cllr Sullivan and Westminster City Council officers to classify this decision as ‘Non-Key’ is scandalous, as it prevents the decision from being ‘called in’ for scrutiny,” he said.
“The claim that the decision would not be ‘significant in terms of its effect on communities living or working in two or more wards’ is manifestly untrue. This misclassification opens the entire process to the risk of Judicial Review, which I fully expect the Conservative group to pursue.
“Furthermore, the decision paper’s assertion that there is no need to consider the impact on climate change or equalities (such as accessibility to the kerbside), and that such matters are for TfL (Transport for London) alone, represents a complete abdication of responsibility and accountability.”
Marylebone will take the brunt of the first phase of pedestrianisation of Oxford Street as buses will be re-routed most likely along Wigmore Street, adding to congestion, pollution and road danger for the more than 12,000 people living across the ward.
Tim Lord, Chair of the Soho Society, said: “It’s disappointing to see more public money being spent while questions from the local community about the proposed removal of buses and taxis from Oxford Street remain unanswered.”
He added such questions include whether traffic congestion will be increased as a result of the pedestrianisation, whether bus and taxi journey times will be affected, and what the impact will be on people with limited mobility who rely on public transport.
“To which we might now add a further question — what will the MDC use its proposed new powers over building development for?
“These questions should have been addressed first, not kicked down the road, while TfL takes legal powers without an explanation as to what it is actually going to do with them.”
Conservative councillor Tim Barnes, representing the local West End ward, said: “The Mayor is trying to get his hands on Oxford Street by working around the rules and processes. Westminster City Council has rolled over for the sake of party politics and is denying residents and businesses the chance for them to have their say in full. It’s all part of a pattern of behaviour by the Mayor, who is looking for every opportunity to take short cuts and ignore those who can see the problems with his hair-brained schemes.
“This time, he’s sent his deputy out to announce something that has not even been through the legally required processes at Westminster City Council. It’s an insult to the council and our residents.”
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: “The Mayor is delighted that Westminster City Council has started the process to hand over control of Oxford Street. This is a significant step forward on the Mayor’s pledge to pedestrianise the road and unlock Oxford Street’s true potential to deliver a world-class, accessible, clean street for everyone. A final formal decision by the Mayor will be made in due course.”
Additional reporting by Linus Rees.
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