Oxford Street District Place Strategy and Delivery Plan → Publica

Illustrated map of public spaces in the entire Oxford Street District.

Oxford Street has always been a centre of commerce, adaptation and change. As London’s foremost retail destination, it serves as an intrinsic thoroughfare and a distributor of movement, linking historic residential neighbourhoods to the wider West End.

The arrival of the Elizabeth Line marks a significant change. Its two West End stations are projected to draw an additional 60 million people annually, increasing the district’s 200 million yearly visits to by almost a third. Alongside the economic opportunities this will bring comes an urgent challenge of adapting congested streets and spaces to accommodate a dramatic surge in pedestrian movement.

Illustrated plan of the Oxford Street District with streets and public spaces drawn in yellow for emphasis and the façades of buildings visible.

Illustrated plan of the Oxford Street District centred on a garden square with streets and public spaces drawn in yellow for emphasis and the façades of buildings visible.

Illustrated plan of the Oxford Street District centred on Marble Arch with streets and public spaces drawn in yellow and parks in green for emphasis and the façades of buildings visible.

Illustration showing opportunities to heighten the character of Great Marlborough Street and strengthen the presence of some of its key buildings

Publica’s Oxford Street District Place Strategy and Delivery Plan seeks to unify Oxford Street’s diverse and often contrasting characters, preserve its eclectic identity, and provide the setting and amenities for its activity and varied economies to thrive.

The approach is holistic and expansive. By extending the area of intervention to encompass the entire Oxford Street District from Marble Arch to Tottenham Court Road – spatially defined as nine zones – the strategy outlines an end-to-end vision in which movement and transport are critical.

Fifteen overarching principles guide the approach, each sensitively considered to reflect the district’s diverse demographic, heritage, garden squares and parks, range of uses, traffic networks and key gateways. Together, they form a multi-faceted framework for the next stages of concept design.

Crowded side street by Oxford Circus underground station.

Four people leaning against a billboard for Topman and Miss Selfridges.

People crossing at a zebra crossing outside Liberty.

Survey Photography

Plan of the oxford street district ground floor land use.

Plan of the oxford street district with conservation areas and listed buildings shown in red

Ground floor land use

The strategy was developed through wide engagement with residents, businesses, retailers, workers and Youth Council members. It then went to public consultation for six weeks, receiving 2,154 completed responses – with 66% of overall respondents and 73% of resident respondents expressing support for its principles.

The Delivery Plan translates the strategy into action. It identifies 97 projects across 88 streets, forming an ambitious, incremental programme of improvement along the full 2km-long district. Some projects are modest in scope, others are long-held ambitions. Many are complex. All are designed to bring radical and long-lasting change to one of London’s most important places.