Red-on-red row over Khan's traffic-free goal

SADIQ KHAN was today facing a “redon-red” battle with Westminster council after the Government promised him new powers to force through the pedestrianisation of Oxford Street.

- Ross Lydall

The Labour Mayor wants to reboot plans that would make one of Europe’s most famous shopping streets traffic free, potentially starting with the stretch between Oxford Circus and Selfridges.

His vision is for a “traffic-free pedestrianised avenue” that is able to compete with Times Square in New York, the Champs-Elysees in Paris and Las Ramblas in Barcelona. He wants Oxford Street to “once again become the leading retail destination in the world”.

A £43 million scheme had to be abandoned in 2018 after the then Tory-led council withdrew support due to opposition from residents, who feared that surrounding streets would become gridlocked with diverted buses, taxis and delivery vehicles.

Labour took control of the council in 2022 but remains opposed to pedestrianising Oxford Street. The council, which currently has responsibility for the street, only learned of the Mayor’s plans five days ago. Some cabinet members were “apoplectic”, the Standard was told. Nickie Aiken, the former Tory MP for the Cities of London and Westminster, today accused the Mayor and Government of seeking to remove local democracy and “railroad” a scheme without local support. “I hope [Westminster council] will stand up to this bullying and bring a judicial review,” she tweeted.

The council already has “shovel ready” plans for a £150 million transformation of the wider area — including spending £89 million on the street itself and a further £25 million at Oxford Circus. Crucially, its scheme involves “maintaining vehicular access on the street”.