London ranked world’s slowest capital city Transport and infrastructure The average driver in London spent more than five days in rush hour traffic last year, with the capital ranking the worst in the world for travel time. Tomtom found that the average motorist spent 136 hours in traffic last year, as London led its ranking of the worst global capital city for slow traffic [...]
Huge development in the West End gets green light Property A huge new commercial project to redevelop 33 Cavendish Square, just off Oxford Street in the West End, has been granted planning permission by Westminster City Council. The redevelopment is set to deliver 800,000 sq ft of much-needed, grade A office space to the West End. John Bushell, principal at architects KPF, said he was [...]
Oxford Street pedestrianisation boosts sales, survey finds Retail The pedestrianisation of Oxford Street led to higher sales at the majority of stores on the busy high street, a new survey has found, with business chiefs praising efforts to make traffic-free days more frequent. Oxford Street was closed to traffic for eight hours on Sunday 21st September in a pilot test for further plans [...]
Mayor of London to move ahead with plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street October 6, 2025 The mayor of London has confirmed he is ploughing ahead with “bold proposals” to pedestrianise Oxford Street after claiming a one-day traffic ban significantly boosted the local economy. Footfall in the West End area was 45 per cent higher on the day when traffic was prohibited from accessing a half-mile stretch of road from Orchard [...]
Oxford Street one-day traffic ban is start of ‘fight to rescue street’, mayor says September 21, 2025 The mayor of London has said a one-day trial banning traffic from part of Oxford Street marks “the day the fight back began to rescue this street”. Sir Sadiq Khan visited the street, where vehicles were prohibited from accessing a half-mile stretch of the road from Oxford Circus to Orchard Street between noon and 8pm [...]
Oxford Street’s new phone theft warnings are utterly depressing August 7, 2025 When demand emerges, the market will provide a solution and the internet is now awash with anti phone theft devices. Basic wrist straps are available on Amazon for a couple of quid, with more robust ‘retractable phone security tethers’ on offer for around £30. You can even get a body-worn strap system that looks like [...]
Selfridges stocking rare vintage Formula 1 clothing this week June 23, 2025 Oxford Street stalwart Selfridges will stock rare, vintage Formula 1 clothing for a fortnight to celebrate 75 years of the motor racing series. F1 75 Years in Motion opens today and runs through until 6 July, and will sell garments stemming from some of Formula 1’s most recognisable moments. Within the collection are 1980s Benetton [...]
Oxford Street plan to ban taxis and buses gets green light June 17, 2025 Plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street have received a green light after a consultation found seven in 10 Londoners supported the move. Buses and taxis will be banned between Orchard Street and Oxford Circus up to Great Portland Street – almost a mile of London. “This is a hugely significant development for central London,” Leader of [...]
Business rates to hammer the West End: ‘This whole policy is nuts’ June 16, 2025 A rise in business rates for more expensive properties is set to hammer valuable areas like London’s West End, a leading investment firm has warned. The policy, which aims to bring down business rates for small properties by raising them for large properties, has been slammed as “unlikely to save the high street” and likely [...]
Oxford Street rebounds to pre-pandemic occupancy as firms bet on shops May 27, 2025 Shop vacancies on Oxford Street have fallen below one per cent for the first time since the pandemic as brands compete for best-in-class retail space. Overall shop vacancies on Oxford Street fell to 0.5 per cent in the first quarter of the year, the first time the figure has fallen below one per cent since [...]