'Delighted!' Shops and visitors welcome plans for a pedestrianised Oxford Street

There are parallels between London's Oxford Street and Melbourne's Bourke Street- they have both been home to flagship department stores, attract tourists and locals in large numbers, and are recognised as the high streets of the cities they serve.

- Kevin Rawlinson

But, according to one visitor from the Australian city yesterday, aside from sheer scale there is also another major difference: "You can smell it - the air [in London] is not very clean."

That may be because, save the trams gliding slowly and quietly by, part of Melbourne's main shopping street has been pedestrianised for decades. But under plans announced yesterday, Melbourne's present could be London's future.

"In Melbourne, we have closed off our main shopping street... It's much better," said Kathy Lacey, who added that it made city life feel more liveable.