Oxford Street – Potential Pedestrianisation
The newly elected mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has made it clear that he wishes to see the pedestrianisation of Oxford Street. Whilst we are all concerned as to air quality caused by too many buses and taxis and the problems associated with Pedicabs it would be extremely bad news for West End ward residents and businesses if there were to be a wholesale and complete pedestrianisation which failed to take account of the on-going needs of servicing the business (many of which do not have rear-access) and the additional traffic that that would be displaced both north and south of Oxford Street causing pollution, noise and disturbance to the established residential communities close by our principal shopping street.
Councillor Jonathan Glanz says "The advent of CrossRail in 2018 may allow for a substantial reduction in buses along Oxford Street and that in turn may allow for a genuine revision of how the street is used in the future. To seek to jump the gun on this would do the West End, its residents and business, a great disservice and I will continue to campaign, together with colleagues, to ensure that this does not occur.”
Councillor Jonathan Glanz is taking the lead on this issue among your three ward councillors and can be contacted at [email protected].
Licencing in the West End
Outside drinking, cumulative impact, noisy bottle collection, deliveries at antisocial hours, unauthorised air conditioning, undue proliferation of food and drink led establishments at the expense of other uses, fear of uncontrollable crowd numbers and inadequate dispersal arrangements when the 24 hour tube and Crossrail - come in --- these are just some of the issues surrounding licensing that have resulted in complaints to your concerned councillors.
We have responded by inaugurating regular meetings with Chris Wroe head of licensing policy at Westminster City Council where there is the opportunity to chat with enforcement officers licensing inspectors as well as policy makers. All are welcome.
The meetings look at the possibilities of extending stress area status to those parts of Mayfair and eventually Fitzrovia that are currently not designated as stress areas but are experiencing problems.
In order for any review to be evenhanded and to stand up in the courts there is the potential to engage a prominent independent academic to assess our problems. Your councillors are giving serious consideration to funding his assessment via our ward budget if a satisfactory brief can be formulated. This is an exciting new development aimed at ensuring inner London remains a residential capital as
well as a vibrant place to visit .
If you have licensing issues and or solutions to add to this study, please email your councillors or Chris Wroe at [email protected] and come along to the next meeting at City Hall.
Councillor Glenys Roberts, who has a lot of licensing experience can be contacted at [email protected]'
Wheels In Motion For Clamp Down On Pedicabs
The Government has unveiled new plans to clamp down on unlicensed pedicabs. Under the proposals, new regulations will be brought about to tackle issues such as unsafe vehicles and rickshaw operators charging patrons extortionate rates. Transport for London will also be given new powers to crack down on nuisance from pedicab operators.
Westminster Conservatives across the city have been campaigning on this issue for a number of years, meeting several government ministers to make the case for local residents.
Councillor Paul Church said: “As a West End resident myself, I know what a blight pedicabs are on our area and I welcome this Conservative Government taking action to improve our West End. This is a massive step towards removing these unsafe vehicles from our streets. Our goal is to ensure that the West End remains as wonderful a place to live as it is to visit".
Councillor Paul Church, who has lead a local campaign to ban unlicensed pedicabs from The West End, can be contacted at: [email protected]"
