Westminster City Council's Labour leader has spoken publicly for the first on Sadiq Khan's plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street, saying he wants questions answered 'to our satisfaction' before any further developments or decisions are made. Cllr Adam Hug, Westminster City Council Leader, wrote to Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and the London Mayor in an open letter yesterday afternoon, outlining 10 ‘key concerns’ on Mr Khan’s plans for the street . READ MORE: 'It's good for our health': Shoppers react to Sadiq Khan’s Oxford Street pedestrianisation plan At the Full Council meeting on Wednesday, September 18, he said he would make the local authority's position 'very clear' on the Mayor's surprise announcement earlier this week.
Mr Khan, who has repeatedly referenced his vision of pedestrianising Oxford Street during his tenure, said he was rebooting plans to turn the world-famous shopping destination into a ‘traffic-free avenue’ and a ‘beautiful public space’ . Westminster City Council’s Labour administration has been working on its own £90 million scheme to improve Oxford Street's public realm . The Mayor however is hoping Ms Rayner, as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, will establish a new Mayoral Development Corporation for the area, granting Mr Khan greater planning powers and the ability to override the council.
Following the announcement, a council statement was attributed to Chief Executive Stuart Love rather than.