London's Oxford Street to go traffic-free in shopping area makeover, says mayor
The plan to rid Oxford Street of cars and buses has been over 20 years in the making. PHOTO: REUTERS
London's Oxford Street to go traffic-free in shopping area makeover, says mayor
LONDON - London's Oxford Street, one of Britain's busiest and most famous shopping districts, will be pedestrianised, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said on June 17, in a move designed to smarten up the area and create a new public space to help drive growth.
The plan to rid Oxford Street of cars and buses, which has been over 20 years in the making, looks set to become a reality after consultations on proposals published in September showed a majority of Londoners and businesses back the idea.
Supporters of pedestrianising the 1.6km stretch in central London say similar traffic-free schemes for Times Square in New York and La Rambla in Barcelona have breathed new life into tired areas.
'We want to rejuvenate Oxford Street; establish it as a global leader for shopping, leisure and outdoor events with a world-class, accessible, pedestrianised avenue,' Mr Khan said in a statement announcing the results of the public consultation.
Oxford Street attracts around half a million visitors every day, according to the mayor's office, but many flagship stores including House of Fraser and Topshop have shut in recent years, and Mr Khan said the area had been neglected.
He will now work with the government on legislation to go traffic-free, which would happen 'as quickly as possible'. That will require finding new routes for the dozens of buses which travel down it each hour.
The government has said Mr Khan's plan for a new 'beautiful public space' which will attract more tourists, drive new investment in the area and create jobs. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
22 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Nielsen projecting women's football's fan base to reach top-five of global sports
The global broadcast audience is also expected to rise by 30 per cent across major tournaments by 2030. PHOTO: REUTERS LONDON – Women's football is set to become one of the world's top five sports by 2030, according to a report by Nielsen Sports in collaboration with PepsiCo, with a global fan base projected to grow by 38 per cent to reach more than 800 million people. Some 60 per cent of those fans are projected to be women, according to their report 'Undervalued to Unstoppable' released on June 17, creating one of the few sports which is followed by more females than males. The global broadcast audience is also expected to rise by 30 per cent across major tournaments by 2030. While sponsorship deals tripled for the 2023 Women's World Cup from the 2019 tournament, only a small fraction of global sponsorship budgets are allocated to women's football, according to the study. It presents a significant opportunity, the researchers argued, considering women are projected to drive over 75 per cent of household purchasing decisions by 2028. 'We have long believed in the potential of women's football, and today, we're no longer just tracking progress, we're witnessing a breakthrough,' said Samantha Lamberti, managing director of Nielsen Sports International. 'From media rights to sponsorship and fan engagement, this is no longer a case of future promise but present value.' Women's football is already one of the top 10 most followed sports globally, and momentum appears to be building. Viewership of the U.S.-based National Women's Soccer League championship last year had an 18 per cent increase over the previous year. Disney+ announced last month a deal to broadcast Women's Champions League matches across Europe, while Alexis Ohanian, the Reddit co-founder and husband of tennis great Serena Williams, acquired a stake in Women's Super League champions Chelsea that same month. Deloitte recently reported that WSL revenues climbed by 34 per cent during a record-breaking 2023-24 season, and are forecasting WSL clubs' total revenue will reach a record £100 million in the 2025-26 season. WSL attendance, however, has dropped after it peaked in 2023-24 on the heels of the 2023 Women's World Cup, but is expected to have another rise after the European Championship next month in Switzerland. Nielsen reported a surge in interest around major tournaments. Switzerland grew its women's football fan base by 22 per cent in 2024 ahead of the Euros, while interest in the UK rose 15 per cent over the two years after England's victory at Euro 2022. Women's football has enjoyed a 60 per cent rise in female fans over the past five years, according to Nielsen, with momentum strongest in China, with 186 million new fans over that period, Brazil, and India. Growth in participation echoed the increase in interest, with China seeing a 300 per cent rise. Participation has also climbed in Europe, with France – with a 150 per cent jump – Spain (95 per cent), the Netherlands (25 per cent) and the UK (24 per cent) seeing the highest increases since 2019. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Indonesia sees no further need to send delegation to US for trade talks: Minister
Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said the country believes it has made its case for open bilateral trade with the US. PHOTO: AFP JAKARTA - The Indonesian government currently sees no need to send another delegation to the United States for the negotiations on tariffs as it believes it has made its case for open bilateral trade and says the ball is now in the US' court. Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto, who helmed an Indonesian delegation dispatched to Washington, DC, in April, said in a press conference on June 13 that the documents submitted to his US counterparts were 'already relatively comprehensive' and that what was left was 'the [US] decision'. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Straits Times
China housing demand to stay at 75% below 2017 peak, Goldman says
The gloomy forecast casts another shadow over the future of China's stagnant property industry. PHOTO: REUTERS China housing demand to stay at 75% below 2017 peak, Goldman says – China's demand for new homes in cities is expected to stay at 75 per cent below its 2017 peak in the coming years due to a shrinking population and expectations of price declines that have been hurting investment interest, according to Goldman Sachs Group. 'Falling population and slowing urbanisation suggest decreasing demographic demand for housing,' Goldman Sachs analysts wrote in a report. 'Investment demand in China could turn negative as owners sell vacant apartments.' As a result, China's annual urban demand for new residential properties will likely remain slightly below five million units over the next few years, substantially below a peak of 20 million units in 2017, they said. The gloomy forecast by the US investment bank is casting another shadow over the future of China's stagnant property industry, which has been struggling under a mountain of debts following years of oversupply. China's new home prices fell the most in seven months in May, official data showed on June 16, suggesting the effect of a stimulus blitz last September is wearing off. Senior government officials are renewing pledges to revive a sector that at its peak accounted for nearly one-fifth of the world's second-largest economy. Citing their own calculation, Goldman economists including Mr Andrew Tilton and Dr Hui Shan said annual demographic demand in urban China will roughly be halved within a decade, falling to an average of 4.1 million housing units a year in 2025-2030 from 9.4 million units a year in the 2010s. With house price expectations falling, holders of investment properties are likely to be net sellers for the foreseeable future, the report said. BLOOMBERG Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
