Oxford Street District E-newsletter June 2021

We have unveiled our plans in partnership with The Crown Estate to transform Oxford Circus into two, pedestrian-friendly piazzas.

The new piazzas will become London’s front door and will be the subject of an international design competition.

Works on the transformed Circus will begin later in the year with the scheme also set to include:

• Delivering significant improvements to the public spaces in and around Oxford Circus, creating more pleasant places to eat, drink, shop and enjoy the centre of the city.
• Introducing additional planting and seating to improve the overall look and feel of the area and encourage dwell time.
• Significant improvements to public realm, including working with Transport for London to create improved access to Oxford Circus tube station.
• Road closure through the introduction of Experimental Traffic Orders, between Oxford Circus and Gt. Portland Street to the East, and Oxford Circus and John Princes Street to the West, turning it into a pedestrian-first zone.
• The launch of the RIBA International Design Competition in Summer 2021 to deliver the final scheme, ensuring ‘world class’ designs and value for money. The competition will be run by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and will be a fully open competition, inviting entries from around the world.

The new Oxford Circus plans will be delivered through a phased approach, starting with two ‘car free’ piazzas on Oxford Street, either end of the Circus, with a target delivery by end of 2021.

The plans for Oxford Circus will improve the experience for people living in, working in and visiting the area. The safety and security of pedestrians is paramount, and will be improved through the introduction of pedestrian-only piazzas at Oxford Circus to reduce pedestrian congestion; a much-needed measure that will be made even more necessary with the arrival of the additional people who will come to the district on the newly built Elizabeth Line. Traffic will continue along Regent Street, north and south of Oxford Circus.

By prioritising people over vehicles, the changes also aim to improve air quality. Works on Oxford Circus are expected to reduce vehicle traffic and improve efficiency of bus journeys across the area.

The reinvention of the Circus as a world-leading, forward-facing, urban space, is the latest step in our ambitious plans to revive Oxford Street and the wider District, for its vision for a greener, smarter future for the West End.

We have already committed £150m to kickstart the OSD programmes and attract inward investment, taking full advantage of the Elizabeth Line opening in 2022 and the area’s links to the wider West End and beyond.

Read more >

Click here to watch video of Council leader, Cllr Rachael Robathan, unveiling our bold plans to reinvent Oxford Circus with the first significant redesign of the nation’s favourite high street in decades >

Tell us what you think?

We are delivering the Oxford Circus work in stages, underpinned by a six month public consultation. This is achieved by utilising an Experimental Traffic Order to allow changes to Oxford Circus, and the required enabling works across a wider area, for the piazzas to open in November 2021. This gives us the flexibility to allow us to amend, develop or stop our plans through a constant dialogue and by looking at what effect the works have. If you have any comments on the plans, please contact stakeholderteam@murphycareyjv.co.uk