ArchitectureLondon · Traffic stops 26 October
New renders show how a pedestrianised Oxford Street in London will look
East's latest images show trees, benches and tables along a traffic-free stretch of London's best-known shopping street, closing to traffic this month.
Oxford Street is finally losing its traffic. After plans were first announced in 2017 and then blocked by Westminster Council, the busy London shopping street is being turned into a pedestrian space, and local studio East has released updated renders of how its stretch will look.
East is working with landscape architects JL Gibbons and urban designers Gehl and Publica on the first phase, a roughly one-kilometre run between Orchard Street and Great Portland Street. The images show wide walkable paving lined with trees, benches and tables. The rest of the street, from Marble Arch to Tottenham Court Road, goes to Hawkins\Brown with Aspect Studios, Urban Movement, Michael Grubb Studios and heritage consultant Authentic Futures. Across the whole street, the plan adds more than 50 trees, two public squares, better signage, seating and dining tables.
Traffic on the first section stops on 26 October, with buses, taxis, bikes and cars sent onto nearby roads. What follows is a temporary test phase, designed to watch how people actually use the space before permanent designs are settled. East director Julian Lewis calls the closure "just the beginning", with seating, public spaces and trees expected by spring 2027.
Worth a wander this winter if you're in the West End, to see an experiment in progress before the finished street arrives.
Our summary of a story from Dezeen, published 8 October 2026. Read the original
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From Dezeen