WHEN you think of Oxford Street in London, your first thoughts might be massive crowds – but this is set to all change.
New plans are being made to completely revamp the UK’s busiest high street, with inspirations being drawn from another famous road in Spain; La Rambla.
Currently, Oxford Street welcomes around 500,000 visitors a day to over 300 shops which include Selfridges and the recently-opened Ikea.
But Oxford Street’s £150milllion revamp will see it pedestrianised between Oxford Circus and Marble Arch, meaning more space for people to walk by replacing the roads with paths.
The man behind the massive Oxford Street project, Scott Parsons, admitted the street currently feels like a “hostile environment” and that he even used to walk out of his way to avoid Oxford Street.
He added that he wants to ditch the “dip in, dip out” vibe of the famous road, and instead make it a destination for visitors to “stroll and linger”.
Read more on travel inspo
Both Mr Parsons and Seb Dance, London’s deputy mayor, said they were inspired by La Rambla in Barcelona, to see the “the benefits of pedestrianised streets for cities and the challenges of large-scale regeneration projects,” according to The Times.
In comparison, stretching just under three-quarters of a mile long, La Rambla is Barcelona‘s most iconic pedestrian area and welcomes around 150,000 people a day.
Along La Rambla, visitors can stop off at a number of destinations too including the Mercat de la Boqueria food market, the historic Liceu Theatre opera house and Miro’s Mosaic.
But over the recent years there have been a growing number of complaints that the spot has become a tourist trap as well.
In a bid to avoid this worsening, a £48million revamp is underway of La Rambla and is expected to be completed by February 2027.
To avoid the issues faced on La Rambla, the development of Oxford Street will need to make sure it doesn’t become full of kiosks that block the paths.
Not only that, but there will also need to be sufficient crowd management, while allowing restaurants and cafes stay open in the evenings to stop the street from becoming empty.
Locals are worried though, that the pedestrianisation will push the traffic out into the surrounding areas such as Soho and Mayfair.
Even Transport for London (TfL) is having to divert its bus routes for the pedestrianisation.
However, Parsons asserted that the current plan will “put Oxford Street back on the map… not just the map of London, but for the UK high street as a global icon”.
In addition, Sadiq Khan previously mentioned that the street will be returned to its “former glory” and rivals the likes of Champs-Elysees in Paris and Times Square in New York as well.
The first phase of the £150million project will be to ban cars on Oxford Street this summer between Oxford Circus and Marble Arch.
This will then be followed by banning buses, taxis and cyclists later in the year.
Temporary “public realm schemes” will also be put in place to “beautify” the street, before later being replaced by permanent schemes.
Permanent features will then include more trees, greenery, rest areas and spots for children to play in.
Once complete Oxford Street is set to “host world-class events, from sport to culture and fashion, as well as exciting new retail and leisure experiences”, according to Sadiq Khan.
And in the future, the pedestrianised zone could be expanded to Tottenham Court Road.
Around 63 per cent of Londoners agree with decision to make Oxford Street pedestrianised.
Sadiq Khan previously commented: “We want to rejuvenate Oxford Street; establish it as a global leader for shopping, leisure and outdoor events with a world-class, accessible, pedestrianised avenue.
He added that it will help to attract more international visitors, as well as create a “beautiful public space where people can shop, eat and connect”.
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