Southwark (Parliament Politics Magazine) – City Hall was warned that Sadiq Khan’s Oxford Street pedestrianisation plan could harm investment, increase crime, and “destroy” the area if mismanaged.
Tim Lord, the chair of the Soho Society’s executive committee, informed the London Assembly that pedestrianization on a neighboring street had previously resulted in an increase in criminal crimes and that the mayor’s proposal had caused uncertainty for developers.
In September of last year, Sir Sadiq declared that he would move forward with plans to eliminate cars from what is known as “the nation’s high street” with the backing of the incoming Labour Government.
Even though the Labour-led Westminster City Council had already unveiled “shovel ready” plans for a £150 million makeover of the surrounding neighborhood, which aimed to improve pedestrian conditions while, more importantly, “maintaining vehicular access on the street,” his proposals were nonetheless unveiled.
Mr. Lord informed the planning and regeneration committee of the Assembly that a local consensus had been disrupted by the mayor’s interference.
“All of that work has now been lost and wasted, because of a press release from the mayor in September saying that he might consider pedestrianisation,”
said Mr Lord.
“That then triggered all the businesses to pull all their funding from that [Westminster Council’s] scheme. The residents are pretty disappointed, because instead of having a certainty for improvements to Oxford Street that would already be under way, we are now back in the world of an enormously contentious – with the local community – idea about pedestrianisation, which has been proposed in the past.
Every time it’s proposed, we ask three questions and we’re still waiting for answers.
We’ve said:
where’s the traffic going, how will older people get to Oxford Street on buses and taxis once you pull them away, and how will the businesses get access [for deliveries]?”
According to Sir Sadiq’s plan, the roadway will no longer be under the council’s exclusive supervision and will instead be surrounded by a mayoral development corporation (MDC).
He said that they now have a whole debate about what will happen to all of the planning in the mayoral development area.
Residents and local activists have voiced their displeasure, saying Khan’s participation has caused years of delays in significant public realm improvements. It has been said that the creation of a Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC) is a “power grab” that impedes development.
Westminster Council has expressed worries that pedestrianization may lead to safety problems, such as making the area a target for terrorism or criminal activity because of the heavy pedestrian traffic.
Westminster City Council Conservative council members have denounced the plan as conceited and unrealistic, claiming it ignores local sentiment and other plans for Oxford Street enhancements.
He thinks all of the property developers will wait until the end of that debate before they make any more investments. You want to know why? Because the planning rules might change.
They might have a different planning policy for the mayoral development area than we do for the rest of Westminster, so in his view, there was a tragic mistake in September, because they had a scheme that was ready to go, that everybody agreed with, and they are now going back to another massive uncertainty as to where they will end up, and that’s what’s going to slow down investment.
Later, the topic of crime and whether pedestrianization could exacerbate it locally came up.
“My understanding is it can go either way, so there’s evidence in both directions,”
Mr Lord told the committee.
“What we do know from our direct experience [is] that Old Compton Street was pedestrianised in Soho in 2000 I believe, and nine months after they did it, they had to dig it all up because of the crime increase that happened on Old Compton Street.”
Addressing the current level of crime in the local area more generally, he said:
“There are 40,000 reported crimes a year in the West End ward. 2,000 robberies, 2,000 violent assaults and 500 sexual assaults.
The West End ward has something like 75 percent of all the public realm crime in Westminster, so there are really serious crime problems and I think the visitors are beginning to notice it.
In the Westminster After Dark consultation… The first thing people say, when you ask them what they’re concerned about in the West End, is safety and security.”
He added that the thing that we’ve raised, because they are worried about it, is this suggestion that there can be a massive increase in the night-time economy on Oxford Street. He thinks yes, there might be, but in our experience in Soho, if you mismanage late-night, alcohol-led activity, the crime rapidly grows out of control, and the police do not have the resources to deal with it.
So that has to be front of mind, because you could destroy all of this, you could really destroy Oxford Street, if it becomes a centre for crime.
Westminster Council leader Adam Hug told the committee he was glad that aspects of the council’s pre-existing plans for the street were being incorporated into the mayor’s new proposals.
He added however:
“It is a different set up. It’s not one we would have chosen and it’s not one we think is wholly necessary to do this, but we understand where the mayor is coming from.”
A spokesman for Sir Sadiq said that Oxford Street, Southwark, is an area of critical national economic importance, contributing billions to London’s economy.
A revitalised Oxford Street would increase visitor numbers, create new jobs, and boost retail and growth for London and the rest of the UK.
The mayor is working closely with local businesses, residents and local authorities whilst he consults on proposals to pedestrianise Oxford Street and create a mayoral development corporation, which would super-charge regeneration and unlock the potential of Oxford Street as we continue to build a better London for everyone.
The mayor encourages everyone to respond to the public consultation he launched in February by 2 May.
What are the main arguments against pedestrianising Oxford Street in Southwark?
Opponents contend that moving traffic away from Oxford Street might impair the air quality and cause more traffic, which would be detrimental to nearby businesses and homes.
The establishment of a Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC), which would give the mayor more planning authority over the region and lessen municipal autonomy, is opposed by Westminster Council.
Concerns have been raised over how elderly and disabled individuals who depend on buses and taxis for transportation will be accommodated by a pedestrianized Oxford Street.
Riding activists have criticized the original proposal for not including riding on the pedestrianized roadway, arguing that it may improve the space for both cyclists and walkers.
