Our recent Marylebone survey raised many questions regarding the Labour Mayor's proposal to pedestrianise Oxford Street.
The Mayor says residents have been consulted and almost everyone wants it. But many of those consulted were not Marylebone residents, many are not even from London. Would they recommend the pedestrianisation of their own high streets?
Concerns of residents identified by our survey revolve around the redirection of buses, taxis and bikes limiting or blocking access to neighbourhood streets, the risks to pedestrian safety, deteriorating air quality and noise pollution, and attraction of criminal elements.
A few weeks ago, Westminster City Council unilaterally gave Oxford Street away to the Oxford Street Development Corporation without any debate – residents had no say in this decision. The Development Corporation now has full control over its future with powers over planning, compulsory purchase orders, and business rates.
Residents will no longer have the capacity to make their views known through their councillors. Additionally, via their council tax, residents will be contributing to the funding to the Oxford Street Development Corporation. It will have a staff of over 50 and the Chief Executive's will earn over £200,000. As the battle-cry goes “No taxation without representation”.
Westminster Liberal Democrats believe the residents of Marylebone have not had an opportunity to make their views known, nor are they going to have that opportunity in the future.
Marylebone is a wonderful place to live, and we want to keep it this way. You can help us achieve this by completing the survey below either in writing and returning it to the Freepost address or online using the QR code.
We thank you for taking the time to complete the survey and commit to letting you know the results as soon as we can.
Yours sincerely,
Martin Kersh and Helen Toeman
The Marylebone Liberal Democrats
