Mayor Sadiq Khan announces a major push to pedestrianise Oxford Street, with a traffic-free event showcasing its future as a vibrant, community-focused high street, amid broad public and business support.
The Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, has unveiled a landmark initiative to transform one of the country’s most iconic shopping streets by announcing that half a mile of Oxford Street will go traffic-free for a day on Sunday 21st September. This event, titled ‘This is Oxford Street,’ is designed to give Londoners and visitors a tangible experience of what the bustling high street could become—a pedestrian-friendly hub that blends retail, culture, and community activities in a vibrant urban space.
The traffic-free interval, from noon to 8pm, aims to showcase a synthesis of fashion, food, music, sport, heritage, and community, demonstrating both Oxford Street’s illustrious past and Mayor Khan’s ambitious vision for its future. The event will feature themed zones such as ‘This is Style,’ highlighting Oxford Street’s global fashion identity with branded activations and pop-ups; ‘This is Play,’ celebrating London’s status as a global sporting capital with activities including international partners like Major League Baseball; ‘This is Flavour,’ offering diverse food and drink options; ‘This is Sound,’ presenting live music and performances; plus community-led initiatives under ‘This is Love,’ a heritage showcase, future urban plans, and interactive experiences capturing the day’s excitement.
This major event aligns with the Mayor’s broader strategic drive to pedestrianise nearly a mile of Oxford Street—from Orchard Street to Great Portland Street—to enhance visitor experience, foster al fresco dining, enable outdoor events, and ultimately rejuvenate the area. The proposed changes follow extensive public consultation conducted by the Greater London Authority (GLA) earlier in 2025, which revealed overwhelming support among Londoners and local businesses. Approximately 66% of respondents backed the pedestrianisation plan, with close to 70% supporting wider regeneration efforts. This consensus signals strong public demand for revitalising an area that holds critical national economic importance, contributing an estimated £25 billion annually to London’s economy but which has faced challenges from shifts in retail habits, the pandemic, and competition from online shopping.
To implement the transformation, the Mayor is progressing with plans to establish a Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC) by January 2026, granted legislative backing following support from the London Assembly. This body will oversee the regeneration, working collaboratively with the government, businesses, and local authorities. The MDC will help overcome previous political obstacles; for instance, Westminster City Council’s opposition had previously delayed pedestrianisation efforts. Mayor Khan has been clear that the project must proceed, emphasising that local government resistance will not stall this vital urban renewal. He has also endorsed reforms to streamline planning decisions by reducing the influence of localised opposition and empowering professional officers—highlighting his commitment to pushing forward transformative projects for London’s benefit.
Major retailers including Selfridges and John Lewis have publicly supported the plans, recognising the potential for a pedestrianised Oxford Street to attract greater footfall, investment, and employment opportunities. The proposed transformation reflects international trends seen in places like New York’s Times Square, where car-free zones have successfully enhanced urban vitality and economic performance.
Detailed traffic and highway proposals will be subject to further consultation later in the year to ensure effective management of alternative transport routes, particularly for buses currently using the street. This phased and consultative approach aims to balance accessibility with environmental and experiential improvements.
The forthcoming ‘This is Oxford Street’ event, with partners like Holland & Barrett curating wellness zones and the charity Choose Love championing community causes, will demonstrate the tangible benefits and diverse possibilities of a pedestrianised Oxford Street. Stores along the street will also participate by offering bespoke deals and promotions on the day, signalling strong business engagement.
Mayor Khan described the initiative as a “fantastic opportunity to see Oxford Street in a whole new light,” affirming his determination to unlock the high street’s “true potential” by delivering a clean, accessible, and world-class avenue. This event is positioned not only as a day of celebration but as a pivotal step towards reimagining and securing the future of the West End for the enjoyment and prosperity of all Londoners and visitors.
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Source: Noah Wire Services
- https://highways-news.com/oxford-street-to-go-traffic-free/ – Please view link – unable to able to access data
- https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/londons-oxford-street-go-traffic-free-shopping-area-makeover-says-mayor-2025-06-16/ – In June 2025, London Mayor Sadiq Khan announced plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street, aiming to rejuvenate the area and create a new public space to drive growth. The proposal received majority support from Londoners and businesses during a public consultation. Inspired by successful transformations like Times Square in New York, the initiative seeks to revitalise the mile-long stretch into a world-class hub for shopping, leisure, and outdoor events. Despite challenges, the plan is expected to attract more tourists, drive investment, and generate employment. Implementation requires collaboration with the government to pass necessary legislation and identify alternative routes for buses currently using the street.
- https://www.london.gov.uk/media-centre/mayors-press-release/oxford-street-to-go-traffic-free-to-showcase-transformative-benefits-of-proposals-to-pedestrianise-the-iconic-street – In August 2025, Mayor Sadiq Khan announced that Oxford Street would be closed to traffic on 21st September for the ‘This is Oxford Street’ event. The initiative aims to showcase the potential benefits of pedestrianisation, offering Londoners and visitors a glimpse of a traffic-free Oxford Street. The event will feature fashion, food, music, sport, heritage, and community activities, highlighting the street’s past, present, and future vision. The move follows positive public consultation results, with nearly 70% supporting the regeneration plans and two-thirds specifically backing pedestrianisation.
- https://www.ft.com/content/5313d5ec-d5e2-4e0c-910f-ca1aa55e7091 – In June 2025, Mayor Sadiq Khan confirmed the progression of plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street, following strong public and business support. A consultation conducted by the Greater London Authority between February and May showed that 66% of 6,642 respondents endorsed the proposal. Major retailers, including Selfridges, John Lewis, and Ikea, also support the initiative. The plan involves pedestrianising approximately a mile of the roadway, from Orchard Street to Great Portland Street. To implement the transformation, City Hall will establish a Mayoral Development Corporation within the year, collaborating with businesses, local authorities, and the national government.
- https://www.ft.com/content/307cf024-1f21-4386-b0e4-757ce597f4f0 – In April 2025, London Mayor Sadiq Khan asserted that local residents should not have the final say regarding the pedestrianisation of Oxford Street. Speaking at a property conference in Cannes, Khan reaffirmed his determination to push forward with the plan, even without the support of Westminster Council, which had previously opposed pedestrianisation due to concerns over traffic, public transport, and disabled access. Khan now has enhanced powers via the Mayoral Development Corporation granted by the UK Labour government, allowing him to advance the project. He criticised the influence of small groups of local residents and councillors in blocking major developments and endorsed recent government proposals to have planning decisions made more often by professional officers rather than local committees.
- https://www.london.gov.uk/overwhelming-support-for-mayors-oxford-street-plans – In June 2025, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, announced he would move ahead with bold plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street and revitalise the area following overwhelming public and business support for his proposals. Oxford Street is an area of critical national economic importance, with an estimated annual contribution of £25bn to London’s economy. In February 2025, the Mayor set out proposals to breathe new life into Oxford Street, including pedestrianisation of the main shopping thoroughfare, to improve visitor experience and better enable new leisure offers, such as al fresco dining and outdoor events. Following extensive public consultation, attracting 6,642 responses, a new report published today shows Londoners and businesses overwhelmingly back the Mayor’s ideas. Almost seven in 10 expressed support for the Mayor’s proposed interventions to regenerate Oxford Street, while two-thirds are supportive of the pedestrianisation idea specifically.
- https://www.itv.com/news/london/2025-06-17/sir-sadiq-khan-to-pedestrianise-oxford-street-as-quickly-as-possible – In June 2025, plans to ban traffic from part of Oxford Street were announced to be implemented ‘as quickly as possible’ as they are supported by ‘the vast majority of Londoners’, Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan said. Two-thirds (66%) of respondents to a consultation support the pedestrianisation plan, Sir Sadiq’s office said. A separate YouGov survey conducted in September 2024 indicated 63% of Londoners are in favour of the project. Oxford Street is one of the world’s busiest shopping areas, with around half a million visitors each day. Sir Sadiq Khan wants to ban vehicles from a 0.7-mile stretch between Oxford Circus and Marble Arch, with the potential for further changes towards Tottenham Court Road. Detailed proposals for traffic will be consulted on later this year. A previous attempt by Sir Sadiq to pedestrianise that part of Oxford Street was blocked by then-Conservative run Westminster City Council in 2018.
Noah Fact Check Pro
The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.
Freshness check
Score:
9
Notes:
The narrative is current, with the event scheduled for 21st September 2025. The earliest known publication date of similar content is 29th August 2025, indicating recent coverage. The narrative is based on a press release from the Greater London Authority, which typically warrants a high freshness score. No discrepancies in figures, dates, or quotes were found. No earlier versions show different information. The narrative includes updated data and new material, justifying a higher freshness score. No recycled content or clickbait was identified. No similar content appeared more than 7 days earlier. The update may justify a higher freshness score but should still be flagged.
Quotes check
Score:
10
Notes:
The quotes from Mayor Sadiq Khan and other officials are unique to this narrative, with no identical matches found in earlier material. No variations in wording were identified. No online matches were found, indicating potentially original or exclusive content.
Source reliability
Score:
8
Notes:
The narrative originates from the Greater London Authority, a reputable organisation. However, the Highways News website is not widely known, which may affect the overall reliability. The narrative includes references to other reputable sources, such as Reuters and the Financial Times, enhancing its credibility.
Plausability check
Score:
9
Notes:
The claims about the event and the plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street are consistent with information from other reputable outlets. The narrative lacks supporting detail from any other reputable outlet, which is a concern. The report includes specific factual anchors, such as names, institutions, and dates. The language and tone are consistent with the region and topic. The structure is focused and relevant, without excessive or off-topic detail. The tone is formal and appropriate for an official announcement.
Overall assessment
Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS
Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): HIGH
Summary:
The narrative is current, with original quotes and a reliable source. While the Highways News website is not widely known, the information aligns with reputable outlets, and the content is plausible and well-structured.
