To think, get rid of the driving restrictions, make parking easier and watch Oxford Street flourish 🤷‍♀️

[mumofoneAlonebutokay]

Just that really

https://metro.co.uk/2025/01/28/oxford-street-suffers-fatal-blow-multiple-retailers-announce-leaving-22447406/

How many shops are closing in Westfield, both branches? Londoners want to drive.

What would you demolish to prioritise cars?

Oxford Street is about the easiest place to access in Central London via public transport as it is, including wheelchair access on some of the tube lines / buses.

I think the number of people who would actively choose to drive there is very low. And there is parking around there already, if you really can’t bear to use public transport - others have linked to specifics.

Speaking as a Londoner who loves to drive, the reason people don’t want to go to Oxford Street is not the lack of parking, it’s because it’s a shithole. It takes too long to walk anywhere because of all the tourists and the only shops of either dull chains or American Sweets. No one is suddenly going to start going to American Sweets because they made driving easier. Anyway there’s an NCP round the back of John Lewis where you can always get a space because no one wants to drive to Oxford Street.

They should pedestrianise the whole thing and make it mixed used space - some shops but also entertainment, places to eat etc. more like Covent Garden or Marylebone High Street. Get rid of the big dept stores, have smaller and more
interesting shops below with flats above.

I did used to drive into London on Sunday morning. It was quick & I think parking used to be free. Bit of brunch & mooch round Topshop.

Just get the bloody Lizzie line.

No one in their right mind would spend 90 mins driving to a shithole like Oxford St, even if there was a massive multi storey car park, paying CC and possibly ULEZ, when public transport gets you there in half the time.

TFL rerouted lots of buses that used to go to Oxford Street direct , I read the consultation when they did it and the idea was locals would use the Elizabeth line more so they changed loads of routes. What actually happened was people just popped on the bus and went elsewhere.High Street Ken is much busier now. Not saying it’s the only factor but I think the bus changes did mean less serious shopping footfall overall.

This Londoner doesn't want to drive.

Your proposal makes no sense OP.
Car ownership in London is actually decreasing, despite the population increasing.
Cars take up a lot more space than buses, bikes and other forms of public transport and are a woefully inefficient way to more large numbers of people around.
People walking and cycling spend more on average than people who drive to High Streets. Stats below.
Vehicle traffics is noisy, polluting and takes up space that can be used for people.
You want more families to enjoy a day out in central London but then complain that places like Westfield are packed. Which is it?
If you want to go shopping and have ample parking there's loads of retail parks, outlet centres and places for you to go.
"Honking horns" is not part of the "hustle and bustle" of the city. It's aggressive, often illegal and unpleasant to hear. I personally like to hear people chatting as part of the hustle and bustle.
I'm glad they are considering this and fully support it. I'd like to see Seven Dials and the Kings Road closed to through traffic too as I think that would be really nice.
content.tfl.gov.uk/walking-cycling-economic-benefits-summary-pack.pdf

Only reason I go to Oxford Street is because I know there's a big Uniqlo there (I don't live in London and am unreasonably annoyed that there's several branches in London and hardly any elsewhere in the country).

Can any Londoners please tell me which of the other branches similarly large so likely to stock the whole range?

@Mangoesintoapub I've read the book about the history of Selfridges and how it used to be sounds so much nicer than what it is now.
It's loud, hot and claustrophobic.
Maybe a time machine it's what's needed for Oxford Street 😂

Im a londoner who loves to drive too but can't agree that we need more flats and entertainment spaces 😬

Cheap parking would bring people in, as well as encouraging retail stores to stay. Pp have mentioned parking but at 10 pounds an hour, it's not great

I wonder what it would cost to close the money laundering front candy stores for a year and insert small local businesses in the shops instead, ie world foods, flowers, baked bread, on a temporary basis

I am obviously speaking in hypotheticals here

@Bjorkdidit there's a Uniqlo at Battersea Power Station. It's on two floors so I don't know if that counts as a big branch.

Manchester one is fairly sizeable. And although Market St on a Saturday can be a trial it’s nowhere near Oxford St conditions. But it’s pedestrianised. Can’t park there. So there’s that to think about too.

Probably 😪

Have you actually been to Oxford Street? Or in fact London?

ah yes, it’s not the (widespread far beyond the UK) collapse of retail due to online shopping plus the insane cost of London rents meaning there’s nothing but identikit chain stores that means Oxford Street is shite. It’s the lack of parking spaces. Sure.

I have lived in Zone 1 or 2 central London for 20 plus years. In Islington it's a rare development that has underground parking these days and many new developments that go up are restricted to even not allow on street parking for residents. My sibling lives in one of these and it was built probably 15 years ago. Most councils are trying to reduce access to parking/cars. I get that people out of London may like driving in but the arteries into London are clogged. The A1 as an example is not something you want to encourage more traffic on to.
I agree it's sad to see Oxford Circus dying but the answer IMHO isn't parking. The answer is to reinvent it as a destination. Look at Coal Drops Yard as an example ... restaurants, sunny space, outdoor seating in the summer, green spaces, retail, fountains for kids, some street markets, art fairs that sort of thing gets people to visit. Going to see the same list of shops on Oxford St that you can see on any high street or mall is not inspiring people to visit

Good heavens, London does not need more cars!!! I don’t live in London but I was walking down Oxford Street on Saturday. Apart from Selfridges food hall, there wasn’t one shop that enticed me in.

I think it’s the worst idea I’ve heard recently, or close to it.

Deffo Coal Drops Yard, I’m not a Londoner so have my outsider eyes on but that it a MUCH more interesting place to visit and spend money. On a nice day grab a drink of something that I have no idea how to pronounce and have a game of ‘spot the fashion student’. Smashing.

Small independent shops can't survive in other towns so how would they pay rents, rates, taxes, insurance plus the cost of delivering items to them.
I hate Westfield but will go there when I need certain things (I like to actually see and feel clothing items and to see how and where they are made).
I still like Oxford street but prefer to use the back turnings to get to where I need and there are still some small shops in Soho (not those sort of shops) and fitzrovia

Actually you know what Oxford Street needs.....
....a really big B+M !

I completely disagree that londonders don't want parking tbh

I know that 'affordable' developments are going up which don't allow parking but all this does is put pressure on parking in other areas as londoners aren't giving up their cars, they're just moving in and parking elsewhere, it's a nightmare

I understand the thought that Oxford street should be developed but don't see why - it should be protected and supported as a retail destination, like Westfield is

I don't think independent shops belong on Oxford street really, as they're more boutiques

(Edit - my previous point was that I would have 12 months of independent pop up shops offering baked goods, flowers etc, in the place of American candy stores)

The chains need to be encouraged to keep their shops in Oxford street and that should be done by encouraging Britons in, not just tourists

Britons from far out will come on holidays but the ones in the surrounding areas can be enticed to come in

I wonder how much of the 'UK dubai shoppers' could be encouraged to holiday to London, with hotel deals? Come to London and do your clothes shop? Plus, stop by Oxford street

It's possible imo

Definitely not, although an upmarket b&m could be good, similar to ikea

Londoners aren't fussed about driving to Oxford St. They do their shopping online.

The reason it's a dump is because the rents are high and ordinary Londoners shop online: Bond St going the same way