A stretch of about one kilometre of Oxford Street between Orchard Street and Great Portland Street has been closed to cars, buses and bicycles, in the first phase of a plan to add trees, seating and two new public squares, AP reports.
A near one-kilometre stretch of London's Oxford Street, between Orchard Street and Great Portland Street, has been closed to cars, buses and bicycles, according to video reporting from The Associated Press published on 26 October 2026. Vehicles have been diverted onto surrounding roads. AP describes the closure as the first step in a makeover of the storied shopping precinct.
According to AP, the plans for the redesigned street include planting trees, installing seating and adding two new public squares. France 24 also reported on the same day that the street, described as one of Europe's busiest shopping areas, has been partially pedestrianised. In the material reviewed for this article, neither outlet set out the full timetable, the cost or the final layout of the scheme, so those details remain unconfirmed here.
The change matters because Oxford Street has long been a symbol of London retail, and AP frames the move as an effort to boost the shopping district. Removing buses and traffic alters how shoppers, commuters and local businesses use the street, and the effect on the surrounding roads where vehicles are now diverted is likely to be closely watched. The embedded AP video shows the closure itself; it illustrates the change but cannot by itself show how the scheme will perform.
