Mayor denies late warning on Oxford Street trial

A trial pedestrianisation of Oxford Street will take place later this month

The mayor of London has been accused of giving Westminster City Council just an hour's notice before announcing a car-free day on Oxford Street.

The street will be shut to traffic from 12:00 to 20:00 BST on 21 September for a free public event featuring fashion, music and food - and will demonstrate how pedestrianisation could work.

Correspondence seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) suggests the Greater London Authority passed on only limited details to the council ahead of a press release issued to journalists on 29 August.

A spokesperson for Sir Sadiq Khan said the claim was "completely untrue" and that City Hall had been "working closely" with the council on the event.

City Hall has presented the day as a test for the mayor's longer-term ambition to pedestrianise Oxford Street, a plan he first set out last year.

Sir Sadiq said: "This is a fantastic opportunity to see Oxford Street in a whole new light – traffic-free, full of music, great food, pop-ups and entertainment for everyone.

"As mayor, I'm determined to unlock Oxford Street's true potential and deliver a world-class, accessible, clean avenue."

A consultation earlier this year found seven in 10 respondents supported regeneration of the street, with two-thirds specifically backing pedestrianisation.

City Hall hopes to establish a Mayoral Development Corporation by January 2026 to take control of the scheme.

The mayor's permanent plan involves the diversion of 16 bus routes that use Oxford Street

Westminster's Labour administration has raised concerns about how permanent pedestrianisation would be delivered, including the impact on congestion and access for older residents.

Council leader Adam Hug told a meeting last year the local authority had been informed of the mayor's wider pedestrianisation plans only days before they were announced.

When asked about the 21 September trial, the council said it had been told in "advance" of the announcement but did not clarify how much notice was given.

Tim Barnes, who is the Tories' deputy leader on the council, told the LDRS: "The mayor has no interest in meaningful engagement or hearing from the people who know the area.

"He has never asked for input from the local councillors on the pedestrianisation plans."

The debate comes as Westminster City Council and the Crown Estate consult on separate changes to the area, including making Regent Street St James's traffic-free and introducing two-way traffic on Haymarket.

Taxi groups have criticised those proposals. Karen Proctor, chair of the United Cabbies Group, said they risked "trading a perceived short-term aesthetic gain for long-term urban dysfunction".

The council and Crown Estate said taxis were "integral to the West End's transport network" and that feedback from drivers was shaping the plans.