Yahoo News Sadiq Khan doesn’t rule out banning traffic from more London shopping streets after Oxford Street pedestrianisation
Sadiq Khan has hinted that he could seek to ban traffic from more London shopping streets after announcing a plan to pedestrianise Oxford Street. Speaking to MyLondon on the roof of the street's branch of John Lewis on Tuesday afternoon (September 17), the Mayor of London said 'watch this space'.
Busy shopping areas in Central London include Regent Street, Bond Street, Sloane Street, King's Road, Carnaby Street and Piccadilly. For now, City Hall plans to designate Oxford Street as a Mayoral Development Area, giving the Greater London Authority planning powers.
According to the 2011 Localism Act, London's mayor may designate any area of land in Greater London as an MDA. This is only if the Mayor 'considers that designation of the area is expedient for furthering any one or more of the Greater London Authority’s principal purposes', has 'laid before the London Assembly a document stating that he is proposing to designate the area, and the consideration period for the document has expired without the London Assembly having rejected the proposal.
The legislation adds that the London Assembly, each constituency member of the London Assembly whose Assembly constituency contains any part of the area, each MP whose parliamentary constituency contains any part of the area and each London borough council whose area contains any part of the proposed MDA, have to be consulted before an area may be designated.
Mr Khan told MyLondon on Tuesday afternoon: "One of the things about setting up a Mayoral Development Corporation is we're in charge of planning, which is really important. But what we do know, from other streets that have been pedestrianised, is it leads to fewer vacancies, bigger occupancy."
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