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Half a million people walk down
Oxford Street every day. New
infrastructure will create greater
access to, demand for, and pressure
on the street. The Elizabeth Line’s
two new stations are expected to
discharge 120,000 more people each
day – a 40% increase. However, this
is not without its issues. The street
is already one of the most polluted
in Europe, and one of the UK’s top
accident hotspots. There have been
numerous plans for overcoming
these challenges – from a covered
mall with rooftop buses, to hop-on-
hop-off trams with none coming near
to fruition. Following commitments
made in his election manifesto to
pedestrianise the street, Sadiq Khan
announced that vehicles would be
banned from Tottenham Court Road
in the east, to beyond Selfridges in
the west by 2020. And a final stretch,
up to Marble Arch, is due to be
completed by 2025. The endgame
might not be a totally bus and taxi
free street from end-to-end, as the
needs of other stakeholders need to
be considered when diverting the
135 buses an hour from the street.
However, with the political will in place
to drive change forward, by 2021 the
Oxford Street experience may well
have changed for the better.
The Northern line extension will
connect Battersea to central London,
making the journey to the West End
or the City 15 minutes faster than
at present, creating opportunities
and communication from expanding
catchment areas. Due to open in
2020, the line will include two new
Zone one stations; Battersea and
Nine Elms, connecting to the existing
tube network via Kennington. The
extension will improve access for
many commuters, with a 20% increase
in capacity on the Northern line
during peak times, while creating up
to 25,000 new jobs and 20,000 new
homes in the area. The new line will
help to support economic growth in
the rapidly developing Nine Elms area
building on the success of attracting
the US and Dutch Embassies and
most recently Apple. It is a key piece
of the wider regeneration of the area
that includes the redevelopment
of the Power Station, significant
residential development, a linear
park, opening up of the Thames
riverside path and the modernisation
of the New Covent Garden market
and, which by 2021, will be on the
path towards being an established
business district.
Pedestrianising
Oxford Street
The Northern Line
Extension and New
Business District
New
infrastructure
will create
greater access
to, demand for,
and pressure
on the street
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COVER STORY
CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD