London's Oxford Street could go traffic-free under mayor's plan
Previous version of plan was blocked by local council
Deputy prime minister says plan will drive growth
Mayor says aim is to get rid off all traffic, including bicycles
Adds details, reaction in paragraphs 12-13, Khan quote in 5
By Suban Abdulla and Hannah Ellison
LONDON, Sept 17 (Reuters) -London's Oxford Street, home to some of the British capital's most famous shops from Selfridges to Marks & Spencer, could be pedestrianised to attract more shoppers under a plan announced by city mayor Sadiq Khan on Tuesday.
If approved, Oxford Street would join other major shopping hubs such as Times Square in New York and La Rambla in Barcelona that have gone fully traffic-free.
A previous version of the plan to ban vehicles from the 1.2-mile (1.9 km) thoroughfare was blocked by the local Westminster City Council, but the revived project has received backing from Britain's Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner.
Rayner said the plan would drive growth, create new jobs and generate economic activity.
"The difference this time is, I've got the support of central government, and that means if ... there was opposition from the council, we'd have the powers to proceed with good plans," Khan told Reuters.
Oxford Street attracts around half a million visitors every day, according to the mayor's office, but many flagship stores including House of Fraser and Topshop have shut in recent years.
The area, like many bricks-and-mortar shops, has struggled to recover footfall since the COVID-19 pandemic saw many people turn to online shopping and fewer return to the office.
The New West End company, which represents retailers on Oxford Street, said the area remained key for retail and hospitality in London.
Some retailers welcomed the move, with John Lewis, whose flagship store has been on Oxford Street since 1864, calling the nearly three-century old highway the "nation's high street".
Khan said the plan was to get rid off all traffic, including bicycles, in the one-mile stretch from Oxford Circus to Marble Arch. The London mayor's office has not specified how buses that use the east-west road will be rerouted.
Stuart Love, chief executive of the local Westminster City Council, said the authority wanted more details on how concerns of local residents and shoppers over rerouted transport and access would be addressed.
Ron Harold-Hurst, a pensioner from Bromley, south east London, said he was against pedestrianising the street.
"It's a terrible idea," the 83-year-old said. "You need buses don't you? How are you going to get from one end to the other?"
The plan needs final approval from Rayner who is also Britain's housing and communities minister.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour Party has said it wants to accelerate the process of approving projects to speed up Britain's economic growth.
Reporting by Suban Abdulla;
Editing by William Schomberg, Andrew Cawthorne and Barbara Lewis
免责声明: XM Group仅提供在线交易平台的执行服务和访问权限，并允许个人查看和/或使用网站或网站所提供的内容，但无意进行任何更改或扩展，也不会更改或扩展其服务和访问权限。所有访问和使用权限，将受下列条款与条例约束：(i) 条款与条例；(ii) 风险提示；以及(iii) 完整免责声明。请注意，网站所提供的所有讯息，仅限一般资讯用途。此外，XM所有在线交易平台的内容并不构成，也不能被用于任何未经授权的金融市场交易邀约和/或邀请。金融市场交易对于您的投资资本含有重大风险。
所有在线交易平台所发布的资料，仅适用于教育/资讯类用途，不包含也不应被视为用于金融、投资税或交易相关咨询和建议，或是交易价格纪录，或是任何金融商品或非应邀途径的金融相关优惠的交易邀约或邀请。
本网站上由XM和第三方供应商所提供的所有内容，包括意见、新闻、研究、分析、价格、其他资讯和第三方网站链接，皆保持不变，并作为一般市场评论所提供，而非投资性建议。所有在线交易平台所发布的资料，仅适用于教育/资讯类用途，不包含也不应被视为适用于金融、投资税或交易相关咨询和建议，或是交易价格纪录，或是任何金融商品或非应邀途径的金融相关优惠的交易邀约或邀请。请确保您已阅读并完全理解，XM非独立投资研究提示和风险提示相关资讯，更多详情请点击 这里。
