By Ross Lydall

Copyright standard

London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan hailed his one-day pedestrianisation of Oxford Street a “roaring success” – after feedback from a dozen firms.

A survey by the New West End Company, the business improvement district for the area and a supporter of the mayor’s plans, found 67 per cent of stores on Oxford Street “reported similar or higher sales during the event”, compared with a typical Sunday.

However only 12 Oxford Street stores replied to the anonymous survey – and six of them did not formally “take part” in the September 21 event, such as by offering special deals, though they were open to shoppers.

Separate data from Transport for London did show that the number of Tube journeys recorded at Oxford Circus, Bond Street and Mable Arch stations was about 25 per cent higher than the previous Sunday and the same Sunday a year earlier.

There was a “small reduction” in bus passengers, due to the need to curtail a number of routes, including those that run along Oxford Street.

City Hall said: “The new data shows the event was a roaring success with Londoners and visitors and underlines the positive impact a transformed Oxford Street will have on businesses across the district.”

The New West End company sent a survey to members asking by what percentage their sales increased on the day.

It received 21 responses – including five from businesses on Regent Street and four from traders on Bond Street.

It estimated there was a 45 per cent increase in footfall on the day, based on the pedestrian flow tracked by five of its cameras.

It said that 83 per cent of Oxford Street stores surveyed would consider taking part in similar events in the future.

Sir Sadiq said: “This traffic free day on Oxford Street was a celebration of everything that makes our dynamic city great and showed the huge appetite for a cleaner, more welcoming and more prosperous West End.

“These fantastic statistics prove that when people are put at the heart of Oxford Street, without traffic, the area thrives and businesses benefit. That’s why I am moving forward with my proposals to pedestrianise Oxford Street and revitalise the area as quickly as I can.

“By choosing to be imaginative and bold, we can deliver a better future for Oxford Street, a cleaner, traffic-free and truly accessible world-class public space.”

The “This is London” event was focused on the section of Oxford Street between Oxford Circus and Selfridges.

A total of 273 shoppers completed a survey about their experiences on the day. These results are due to be published “in due course”.

TfL is due to launch a second, more detailed consultation on the changes needed to close Oxford Street to all vehicles between Orchard Street and Great Portland Street.

This will include how the buses will be re-routed.

TfL commissioner Andy Lord told The Standard: “We are really excited about the project and getting the consultation going.

“There has been a lot of detailed planning on what the options are, and we are working with Westminster council.

“While we want to pedestrianise Oxford Street, we want to make sure we have a fully accessible and operationally reliable bus network to get people into the area and away when they’re finished.”

Asked about the timeline, he said: “We are still working through that as quickly as we can, but no firm date from our perspective. We want to do it as soon as we can.”

Asked if there would be permanent changes by May 2028 – the date of the next mayoral elections – Mr Lord said: “The mayor has got a very strong ambition to get it done. I don’t see any reason why that isn’t achievable.”

Dee Corsi, chief executive at New West End Company, said: “‘This is Oxford Street’ offered visitors a fresh and dynamic way to experience the nation’s high street, with our data revealing that the one-day pedestrianisation drove large increases in footfall for both Oxford Street and neighbouring streets across the district.”