// Westminster City Council’s cabinet has approved new plans to renovate Oxford Street
// Design work is due to take place in spring, with physical works beginning in autumn
// The council has set aside £150 million of funds to begin improvements
Westminster City Council’s cabinet has confirmed that changes and improvements are to be made to the Oxford Street district as part of its Place Strategy.
Proposals aimed at delivering changes to improve the world-famous retail precinct have also been approved as a recent consultation received strong support.
Design work is due to take place in spring, with physical works beginning in autumn.
READ MORE:
The council’s proposals includes reducing congestion and pollution by re-routing buses around the Oxford Circus district either side of Regent Street, closing some surrounding streets to cars and buses during the busiest times of day, and reducing speed limit from 30mph to 20mph.
Meanwhile, the council has set aside £150 million of funds from its capital budget to begin the improvements in the district.
The Place Strategy was subject to the public’s consultation from November 6 to December 16, and received a total of 2154 completed consultation responses.
Sixty-six per cent of responses showed support for the Place Strategy’s principles, while 73 per cent of resident said they also supported the principles.
The results were revealed at a cabinet meeting on February 25, where official approval was given to take plans forward.
A further business case to discuss the detailed delivery schedule is due to take place at the next cabinet meeting on April 8.
The news follows Westminster Council shelving plans for a pedestrianisation of Oxford Street, which had been considered to a flagship policy of London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
Despite receiving support from the general public via a public consultation and from Transport for London, the council said it was clear “through two public consultations and recent council elections that local people do not support the pedestrianisation proposals”.
Khan slammed the decision and banned the council for using any funds from Transport for London for a redevelopment without his approval.
Click here to sign up to Retail Gazette‘s free daily email newsletter
