Oxford Street is to go traffic-free from Monday as London mayor vows to rid it of 'dross' candy shops
Almost a kilometre of Oxford Street will close to all traffic from Monday, with deliveries confined to a midnight-to-7am window and the carriageway eventually raised to pavement level.The proposed Oxford Street pedestrian zone covers almost a kilometre from Orchard Street to Great Portland Street, with Lord Sadiq Khan vowing to replace 'dross' candy shops with good-quality retailers.
Almost a kilometre of Oxford Street — from Orchard Street, by Selfridges, to Great Portland Street — will close to buses, taxis, cyclists and scooters. Deliveries will be confined to a midnight-to-7am window. Westminster council has warned that side roads will bear the brunt of diverted traffic. Lord Sadiq Khan says the date will 'go down in history', with the closure arriving just ahead of the Christmas rush.
Khan wants 'good quality shops rather than the dross we've had'.
The street generates around £3.1bn a year but is plagued by phone snatching and empty shops.
The carriageway will be raised to pavement level, with the first sections due by spring 2027.
