West End Manifesto
A shared vision
New West End Company calls upon all those with a vested interest in the future wellbeing of London’s West End to:
- Champion the West End – Acknowledge the vital importance of the West End to London’s economy and wellbeing and give it the priority it deserves
- Give the streets back to the shoppers – The huge number of buses, taxis and lorries in the area causes congestion, inconvenience to pedestrians and pollution. The principle shopping street should be a destination for shoppers rather than a thoroughfare for traffic. We call for an incremental reduction in traffic over the next five years
- Get people moving – Provide a dedicated transit system along the length of Oxford Street
- Prioritise East Oxford Street – Make the comprehensive redevelopment of this area an economic and planning priority. Introduce flexible policies and work to bring all partners together to create a world class quarter
- Encourage Investment – From both the public and private sectors to enable the West End to remain the world’s top shopping destination
- Continue to keep crime low in the West End – Commit to make reducing crime against shoppers and retailers a key priority to maintain the reputation of the West End as a safe and secure place to shop, visit and work
- Ease the pain of Crossrail’s construction – Offset the BID levy in the West End against the Business Rate Supplement during the construction of Crossrail, allowing money to be spent locally to counter the disruption during this period
- Help promote the West End – In particular through traffic-free days which have proved such a success with millions of Londoners
- Clean up the West End – help replace the clutter on our streets to create an iconic, contemporary and Green environment in the West End
- Win West End Gold at Olympics – Ensure that the West End, as Britain’s shop-window, maximizes its potential in the run up and during the 2012 Olympics