Conservative councillor Barnes said his party’s actions in pushing for a detailed study of the noise and traffic impact on surrounding streets “isn’t about using the environmental impact assessment to stop the Oxford Street pedestrianisation.
“It’s about trying to make sure that the scheme that comes forward, and what we see at the end of all this process, is as good as it can be.”
He added: “We know that there are going to be negative impacts on noise, and on air quality, and potentially on pedestrian and cycling safety.
“We just want to understand what the impact of those might be, to be able to compensate for those downsides.”
A spokesperson for TfL said it had “submitted an environmental impact assessment screening opinion to the MHCLG [Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government] and are awaiting the outcome.
“This will determine whether a full environmental impact assessment is required and will influence when the transformation works begin.”
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