New stores are sweet relief from Oxford St candy curse

LAST week Dylan Jones was unsparing in his verdict on Oxford Street — “too much crime. Too many dodgy sweet shops and beggars” — and the colourful description “London’s biggest thoroughfare now looks like a disused dual carriageway in the wrong part of Eastern Europe.”

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I agree with quite a bit of this analysis. It is beyond dispute that Oxford Street began to look tired even before lock down and was struggling to preserve its much-quoted status as the nation’s high street.

Is it dying? No. Has it been under the weather? Without question. However, I would argue the patient is now in recovery and with a brighter future ahead. Here’s why.

The Evening Standard reported earlier this year on council plans to spend £90 million in partnership with the New West End Company to overhaul Oxford Street. I appreciate there may be a certain fatigue about “how it might look” artists’ impressions of Oxford Street schemes after years of abandoned plans. But the big difference is we are now making progress at pace in partnership with business and residents. We will make Oxford Street wider, greener, and more pleasant to spend time on. This programme is ambitious but deliverable, and we are committed to making it a reality by 2026.