Sadiq Khan is offering jobs paying up to almost £100,000 a year for staff able to help him seize control of Oxford Street.
The first four of about 15 jobs are being advertised on a Greater London Authority website – and the job specifications contain revelations about the mayor’s potential “power grab” from Westminster council.
These include redesignating Oxford Street as a Transport for London road – rather than keeping it as a Westminster council road – and having “longer-term stewardship of the Oxford Street area”.
As expected, this would involve securing Parliamentary approval for the establishment of a “mayoral development corporation” to drive through the expected ban on vehicles and cyclists, and the diversion of numerous bus routes.
City Hall – which plans to open an “Oxford Street office” - also wants to establish a “long-term financial and commercial model for the transformed Oxford Street area”.
In September, Mr Khan revealed that he had secured Government support for his wish to rekindle abandoned plans to part-pedestrianise the nation’s best known high street.
But he has faced opposition from Westminster council – despite it now being under Labour control – and from a number of residents’ groups.
Earlier this week the street was visited by Janette Sadik-Khan, the transport expert who masterminded changes at Times Square in New York that are seen as an inspiration for the Oxford Street scheme.
The jobs include a “head of Oxford Street transformation programme” on a salary of £96,461, a “senior communications and stakeholder engagement manager” on £79,159, a “senior planning, design & delivery manager” on £79,159 and a “principal transport planning and policy officer” on £63,112.
All the jobs are for a fixed term of two years. The “head of Oxford Street transformation programme” would work in tandem with Will Norman, the mayor’s walking and cycling commissioner.
The chosen employee would be required to “build, lead and motivate a team (expected to be circa 10-15 full-time equivalent employees) responsible for developing and implementing the development and delivery of the Oxford Street Transformation Programme”.
This would include overseeing the “early-stage design of the transformed Oxford Street area (including working with TfL on the associated transport planning and modelling) including procurement, engagement and consultation, design review, and preparation for any required planning processes”.
The employee would also have to “ensure that equality, diversity and inclusion are built into the design from the start, that it is consistent with the Mayor’s environmental objectives, and that it is aligned with the financial and commercial models proposed for the area”.
Mr Khan has faced a multitude of questions from London Assembly members about his plans for Oxford Street, including the timetable for the work to begin.
Mr Khan said that Oxford Street “will be one of my flagship projects this mayoral term and offers exciting opportunities to showcase the best in design and sustainability”.
Many details remain unclear, though City Hall told The Standard last week that a public consultation was due to open in early 2025.
In a written answer to Tory assembly member Andrew Boff, Mr Khan said: “I am considering pedestrianising Oxford Street by designating it a GLA Road which means it will form part of the TfL Road Network.
“This would be subject to consent by the relevant London borough or the Secretary of State. If it was designated as a GLA Road, it will enable TfL to carry out the necessary works to pedestrianise Oxford Street.”
He told Green assembly member Caroline Russell: “My proposals for a Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC) for Oxford Street are at an early stage and are subject to consultation with the London Assembly and others.
“The exact powers to be given to the MDC are yet to be determined but they will need to be aligned with my ambition of ensuring that the regeneration of Oxford Street secures the maximum benefits for London, residents and businesses in the area.”
He told Lib-Dem Hina Bokhari: “The scheme design will consider many important factors including traffic management, access for older and disabled Londoners, servicing of businesses, and innovative mobility approaches to ensure that everyone can benefit from this scheme.”
Asked about the type of flagship stores he hoped to attract, Mr Khan said: “Efforts will be focused on encouraging a range of retail and leisure uses along the high street to create a premier shopping and leisure destination that reflects its place at the centre of a global city, attracting tourists and locals alike, and generating significant economic activity.”
He said studies had shown that “visitors stay longer and spend more when the pedestrian environment is improved”.
Mr Khan added: “Early economic assessment of the Oxford Street scheme proposed in 2017 found that full pedestrianisation would perform significantly better than partial traffic removal, delivering more than seven times the public realm benefits”.
