Hawkins/Brown and East to lead pedestrianisation of London's Oxford Street

Architecture studios Hawkins/Brown and East have been selected to lead the pedestrianisation plans for Oxford Street, initiated by London mayor Sadiq Khan.

The news, revealed by the Greater London Authority (GLA) this morning, follows Khan’s announcement in June that plans for the redevelopment would move ahead “as quickly as possible”.

More than 1.1 kilometres of the iconic shopping street will be pedestrianised as part of the project, in addition to the creation of outdoor dining areas and public spaces.

Studios will “regenerate Oxford Street and unlock its true potential”

Hawkins/Brown will lead on the concept design for the entire length of Oxford Street, spanning from Marble Arch to Tottenham Court Road.

Meanwhile, architecture and landscape studio East will lead the first phase of the redevelopment, spanning between Orchard Street and Great Portland Street.

“City Hall has appointed two world-class design teams to work together on the design and delivery of Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s transformative and ambitious plans to regenerate Oxford Street and unlock its true potential,” said GLA.

“These teams will bring on board talented experts, who together have a wealth of experience on globally renowned projects including Times Square in New York, George Street in Sydney, London’s Bond Street and the Here East development in Stratford.”

The studios were chosen from the mayor’s Architecture + Urbanism Framework, a “pre-approved panel” of built environment firms launched in 2023 to assist authorities with urban design.

Other architecture and design studios, including design consultancy Gehl and London-based practice Publica, will also work alongside them to offer “additional expertise”.

Oxford Street “of critical national economic importance”

Plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street were previously announced by Khan in 2017, but they were originally blocked by Westminster Council. The goal of the transformation is to attract more shoppers to the area and boost economic growth.

“Oxford Street is an area of critical national economic importance, with an estimated annual contribution of £25 billion to London’s economy – but it has suffered over many years for a variety of reasons, from the pandemic to the growth of online shopping and retail parks,” said GLA.

Oxford Street also recently hit the headlines after IKEA opened a branch in a renovated Grade II-listed building there, which was previously Topshop’s flagship store.

The main image is an early concept visual issued by the London mayor in 2017.

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