Agenda item

To receive a report on the Oxford Street District and Marble Arch Hill from Debbie Jackson, Executive Director for Growth, Planning and Housing, and Elad Eisenstein, Programme Director for the Oxford Street District.

6.1       The Committee received a report on the Oxford Street District from Elad Eisenstein (Programme Director, Oxford Street District) who introduced the work taking place to improve this area. The Committee heard that delivery had been successful, and that the framework had been launched with partners, with Elad Eisenstein highlighting the impact of online retail going forward and the need to create experiences for visitors to the district. The Committee also heard that work was being done in both the form of district-wide interventions as well as local practical solutions to ensure the district was fully integrated. Elad Eisenstein highlighted for the Committee the work taking place around vacant properties and spaces which were being under-utilised. The Committee discussed the need for improved green spaces and decarbonisation.

6.2       The Committee heard about the improvements within the Oxford Street District and how these linked into the economy across the West End as a whole from Debbie Jackson (Executive Director Growth, Planning and Housing). Debbie Jackson emphasised the importance of a thriving economy and long-term economic success and explained that this ongoing project was collaborative, with input from colleagues across the Council.

6.3       Noting the report, the Committee discussed the balance between the need for detail to enable scrutiny and receiving papers of reasonable brevity. The Committee also discussed the benchmarks used in the Oxford Street District work, including Barcelona.

6.4       The Committee discussed the Oxford Street District in depth. The key themes that emerged from the Committee’s discussion were:

•           the greening of the Oxford Street District, including tree-planting and maintenance.

•           the future of work and retail, including the maintenance of active retail frontages and changes from retail to office space.

•           zero carbon targets and aims.

•           the investment being made in the West End and workforce analytics.

•           the issues concerning retail rents and flexibility in business rates.

•           the Marble Arch Mound, long term plans and continued engagement.

•           the importance of working with BIDs, landowners, businesses and amenity societies.

6.5       The Committee discussed projects such as the London Eye, which had been conceived as a temporary structure which had become permanent. The Committee was advised that, although the Marble Arch Mound would be a temporary project, there were other long-term projects in the pipeline. In addition, the Committee was informed that work was being done to increase engagement with local businesses through communication channels.

6.6       The Committee discussed the greening measures being taken and heard that the emissions targets, although steep, were being worked towards via a suite of plans including a retrofit project for buildings.

6.7       The Committee was advised that the shift from retail to office space on Oxford Street had been in place for some time, and that this was not a new trend in retail. The Committee heard that the ambitions were for the Oxford Street District to focus on the experiential, offering experiences to visitors to move away from purely being a retail destination. Officers advised that experiential retail had become key and there had been a shift away from the flagship stores which were once central to the Oxford Street experience. With regards to social media, the Committee heard that there had been a focus on smart programmes and virtual reality experiences to ensure Oxford Street continued to be seen as a destination.

6.8       The Committee heard that work had been and continued to be done with landowners with regards to flexibility around rents and pop-up spaces, and that whilst the larger buildings in this area would be utilised fairly quickly, there was a focus on small and medium units which would be more difficult to fill. Debbie Jackson advised the Committee that an intelligence pack of metric was being gathered and the Committee heard that building data and metrics were being analysed as part of an ongoing project.

6.9       The Committee also heard that the Council had used insight from international city projects to inform the Oxford Street District project and other Council projects. Elad Eisenstein highlighted for the Committee how Barcelona was used as an example of a city where, although many planning restrictions were in place, in particular in the historic areas, the authorities in Barcelona had been able to find innovative solutions to issues such as waste management and transportation.

6.10     The Committee acknowledged the work involved in delivering the plans for the Oxford Street District and requested to be kept informed.

ACTION:  Officers to confirm numbers related to tree planting (Elad Eisenstein).