Soho 'must be included in Oxford St regeneration'

Soho business owners are calling on the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan not to forget the central London area as he continues plans to regenerate Oxford Street.

In September, Mr Khan announced plans to pedestrianise the stretch between Marble Arch and Oxford Circus and restrict traffic along the street towards Tottenham Court Road - the part of the street where Soho is located.

Soho Business Alliance (SBA), has now written to him calling for the whole district to have a mix of pedestrianised or low traffic shopping areas.

The mayor's office said the proposals were still being finalised.

In its letter to the mayor, SBA said they were concerned that if Soho was excluded from the Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC) for Oxford Street there could be an adverse impact on pedestrians, cycle routes and traffic flows.

The SBA, which represents around 150 businesses, wrote: "You may not be aware that in a very similar way to Oxford Street, Soho has suffered with years of neglect in terms of highway maintenance and public realm improvement.

"The pavements are narrow and inaccessible, the lighting is poor in places making it feel unsafe for vulnerable groups, in particular for women and girls, there is limited opportunity for on street surveillance because of the narrow pavements and CCTV has been completely removed from the busiest streets."

It also said the pavements were too narrow for pushchairs and wheelchairs and compared to other historic city centre districts, there was no space for alfresco dining in Soho.

The SBA has also claimed previous plans to try and regenerate the public realm "have been met with fierce opposition from a small minority of local residents".

Westminster cabinet member for planning and economic development, Geoff Barraclough has said Soho is a very diverse area, in terms of both its people and its businesses, so the Soho Business Alliance does not speak for all.

He said: "We are fighting to ensure local people have a powerful voice in the Mayor of London’s plans for Oxford Street and that the whole of the West End benefits.

"Soho is not going to lose out and we would oppose any plan to remove democratic control from the area."

Barraclough said the West End and Soho have around 1,300 licensed venues, the majority open after midnight.

He added that partnerships with the Metropolitan Police, Veolia and local businesses work to tackle issues like anti-social behaviour and keep Soho clean, "and the new wave of CCTV cameras being rolled out in the area underlines that commitment".

Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg, cabinet member at Westminster City Council, queried in a post on X (formerly Twitter) said the council "did not believe" the majority of local businesses supported SBA's proposal.

"Some major Soho businesses were not even asked for their views before the letter was sent to the mayor," he wrote.

"It looks like the proposal for the mayor to take over Soho is just the idea of a few self-interested businesses who see an opportunity for making a quick buck."

A spokesperson for the mayor said: "Plans for a consultation are still being established, and this includes defining the scope.

"We expect to bring forward this consultation in early 2025, at which time, more details will be available."

Plans to transform Oxford Street have been discussed for decades since it became the UK’s premier shopping destination:

• In the 1960s, there were proposals to deck the street with pedestrians walking on podiums as traffic flowed beneath, the Guardian reported
• The first mayoral pledge to pedestrianise the street came during the 2004 election with Lib Dem candidate Simon Hughes - but Ken Livingstone held the post and the policy was not pursued
• In the years that followed, changes were made to the street, including pavement widening and a reduction in bus routes
• Sadiq Khan was elected in 2016 on a manifesto promising to ban traffic from Oxford Street but his bid was ultimately blocked by the then Tory-led council following opposition from residents
• In 2021, Westminster Council shelved its "pedestrian piazza" plans at Oxford Circus, which it intended to implement after blocking Khan’s pedestrianisation proposals
• The council’s own "shovel ready" £90m plans to give Oxford Street a facelift were set out last year with more benches, more trees and wider pavements proposed. It remains to be seen how much of this work will be carried into Khan's plan.

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