Sadiq Khan’s Oxford Street plan ‘will fuel shoplifting and mugging’
Association of residents and businesses in central London says scheme ‘solves nothing’
Sir Sadiq Khan’s bid to pedestrianise Oxford Street will turn the thoroughfare into a haven for shoplifters, muggers and criminal gangs, local residents have warned.
The Marylebone Association, which represents local residents and businesses, said that rather than creating the “world-class boulevard” touted by the London Mayor, the plan will add to soaring crime rates on Europe’s busiest shopping street.
Branding the proposals “dangerous, unworkable and catastrophic for the surrounding neighbourhoods”, the association said they would make the shopping district a “magnet” for miscreants.
The comments came as Transport for London (TfL) published details of proposed traffic diversions and revealed that bicycles will be banned under the plans.
Responding to the proposals, the association said: “The scheme solves nothing and creates new risks on an unprecedented scale.
“Removing traffic removes natural surveillance, turning the street into an open stretch vulnerable to gangs, rough sleeping, illegal trading and street crime.
“Businesses already report soaring shoplifting, assaults and anti-social behaviour. Even the Mayor’s own strategy relies on a major expansion of the late night economy, increasing alcohol licences and extensions.”
The association said that while “Oxford Street may be car-free, its neighbours will not be” with taxis, delivery vehicles and buses forced onto residential streets.
It said that Oxford Street – home to more than 300 stores including flagship branches of John Lewis, Selfridges and Marks & Spencer – will meanwhile become a “no-go zone” for elderly and disabled shoppers, who would face a walk up to 400 metres from relocated bus stops.
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Pedestrianisation would require 24-hour monitoring, a significant increase in police patrols and the erection of barriers against “hostile vehicles”, the association said.
It accused Sir Sadiq of indulging in an “ideological experiment” and said he was seeking to stifle local opposition by designating Oxford Street a mayoral development area, removing Westminster council’s oversight of the project.
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