Spades hit the ground on greener Oxford Street

Westminster City Council and its partners at MCJV have started the process of delivering ambitious plans for the reinvention of London's Oxford Street.

Our landscape architecture team is supporting the council and the wider consultant team in making the ‘nation’s high street’ greener, safer and cleaner as we emerge from the pandemic.

The measures include designs for pocket parks and seating areas to encourage visitors back to the West End and create a welcoming, safe environment for residents, workers and visitors, when lockdown restrictions are eased. The new, biophilic, experiential external environments will act to help retailers, restaurants, cafes and other businesses in the area to bounce back, stronger.

The initial project will transform the look and feel of Oxford Street and improve the air quality in the area. Westminster City Council will be engaging with stakeholders to assess which measures will become permanent. The installations will include:

• 25 new mature trees – an increase of 40%
• more than 1,500 new plants from 65 different species
• 55 new seating areas – double the current number of benches

The first phase of work will also see bus bays consolidated to make space for dwelling space and lighting installations.

Cllr Rachael Robathan, Leader of Westminster City Council, said: “The pandemic has been a hammer blow for retailers and Oxford Street has suffered as much or more than any other high street in the country.

These initial measures, which should be completed in time for summer, will literally pave the way for an economic recovery. They will create a new visitor-friendly environment and reinforce the area as one of the best places in the world to live, work, shop and visit.

This is just the start. Our Oxford Street District Framework lays out a plan for the successful long-term future for the nation’s high street, as the greenest, smartest, most sustainable district of its kind anywhere in the world.”

Chair of landscape design, Nick Edwards, said: “The new designs on Oxford Street will support the safe movement of pedestrians whilst ensuring that vibrant, lush greening and new seating enhances the experience of, what is arguably, London’s most famous retail destination.

Even though these measures are temporary, Oxford Street has a bright future - we are providing more places for people to dwell, incorporating green infrastructure, promoting more sustainable modes of transport and enhancing the ability for retail companies to engage with, and trade within the external environment. The results will be outstanding.”