Press Release

West End Gets The X Factor
2-11-2009   700

Europe's busiest diagonal crossing was unveiled today by London Mayor Boris Johnson following a £5million makeover which has seen Oxford Circus get the X factor.

For the first time ever shoppers will be able to cross the busy intersection diagonally in an 'X' as well as straight ahead - meaning the junction will be able to handle double the number of pedestrians and ease overcrowding.

Taking a lead from Tokyo's famous Shibuya crossing, renowned for allowing large numbers to cross with ease, Oxford Circus, the gateway to London’s premier shopping destination, has had its barriers and street clutter ripped out and remodelled, giving the 200million shoppers and workers that visit annually around 70 per cent more freedom to move around.

Half a kilometre of both Regent Street and Oxford Street are also being redesigned with wider pavements and new lighting.

And in homage to its Far Eastern inspiration the road was officially opened by the Mayor who struck a two metre high cymbal as Japanese musicians played taiko drums - and a giant X in the form of 60 metres of red ribbon was unfurled by devotees of cult Japanese Manga characters dressed in colourful costumes. 

The redesigned road has increased the amount of pavement space by 312 metres squared, up 69 per cent from its previous capacity of 453 metres squared, and provides more room around the exits to Oxford Circus tube station.

The new crossing, which has been jointly funded by The Crown Estate, which owns Regent Street in its entirety and Transport for London, builds on The Crown Estate’s £750 million Regent Street regeneration programme and also forms part of wider £40m plans led by Westminster City Council to renew the West End ahead of 2012.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: "This project is a triumph for British engineering, Japanese innovation and good old fashioned common sense. The head scratching frustration caused by the previous design is over and we’ve brought one of the world’s greatest crossroads into the twenty first century. Being able to cross in an oblique rather than a perpendicular fashion will make Oxford Circus incredibly more efficient for the millions of pedestrians and road users that use the crossing every year.”

Westminster City Council's Leader, Cllr Colin Barrow, said: "Taking our inspiration from the Far East makes perfect sense as the Japanese have perfected the art of managing large numbers of people through good design and engineering, and the West End, like Tokyo's Shibuya district, is a fashion and entertainment hub which attracts visitors in huge numbers."

The Chief Executive of The Crown Estate, Roger Bright, said: “This represents the biggest single improvement for West End pedestrians seen in the last 50 years and means that the gateway to Regent Street will be truly fitting for Europe’s premier shopping destination.”

The major engineering project took just six months to complete and involved complete remodelling above and below ground, including removing old traffic islands and void spaces, whilst keeping traffic moving and catering for millions of pedestrians.

Concrete and metal barriers have been ripped out and paving now boasts top quality and durable York stone which has been coated with special chemical to help make removing chewing gum easier. 

Traffic lights have been rephased so that the vehicles from all four directions are stopped simultaneously for 30 seconds allowing people to walk safely across the junction diagonally. The complete traffic sequence is 115-120 seconds.

As part of the work additional 'oases' are being created in nearby side roads Princes Street and Little Argyll Street, which will be part pedestrianised to allow for al fresco dining and possible street entertainment.

The New West End Company which represents businesses in Bond Street, Oxford Street and Regent Street supported the scheme.

Dame Judith Mayhew Jonas, Chairman of New West End Company, said:  "We are delighted this important project has been completed just before the start of the busy Christmas shopping period with over 40 million shoppers visiting our district over the next six weeks. What a great early Christmas present for them all."

The busy intersection is one of the most popular destinations in the world with more than 200 million visitors a year, and designers have adapted the same technology used in blockbuster films such as the Lord of the Rings to ensure the layout of the new crossing can cope with the vast numbers of people who pass through it, which at peak periods is up to 32,000 every hour.

The West End boasts more retail space than Paris and Rome, and its shops alone generate an annual revenue in excess of £5.5bn.

The West End is home not only to the biggest concentration of retailing in Europe, but also to the £1bn a year theatre industry, the world biggest concentration of media companies and boasts more restaurants and bars than any other part of the UK. In total the West End's diverse economy accounts for 19% of London's GDP.

But the capital's fashion industry and the fact the West End attracts young fashion-conscious people for shopping, dining and entertainment, makes its parallels with Tokyo's Shibuya district relevant.  
To reflect the Far Eastern links Taiko drummers or Japanese drummers led by the world famous Joji Hirota, known as the Nigel Kennedy of Japan, played Taiko drums for the formal opening which saw the road closed for just five minutes.

Holding two sections of 26m red ribbon cosplayers, devotees of cult Japanese Manga characters dressed in colourful costumes and arranged by the Grand Cosplay Ball helped mark the opening.

The Grand Cosplay Ball is an international cosplay event taking place in London on 29th November

Notes to Editors

For further media enquiries please contact Emma Germain in Westminster City Council's press office on 0207 641 2259. On the day please contact Emma Germain on 07786436224 or Sam Adler on  07790015452.
Media requesting further information on The Crown Estate and Regent Street can contact Andy Payne, Communications Manager, at The Crown Estate on 078 2568 2206.

The cost of the scheme is just over £5m. The funding is made up of:
TfL: £2.85 m
The Crown Estate:£2.5m
Key Facts
At over £5.5billion a year the three streets Oxford Street, Regent Street and Bond Street gross a higher retail spend than Manchester and Birmingham combined.

They boast a combined tally of 6.6million square feet of retail space and more than 600 shops. The retail industry provides employment for over 45,000 people, and 30% of all London jobs in cinema and theatre are in the West End

200 million people visit the West End every year
36,000 people live in the West End
The three streets alone throw up their own challenges with up to 1,200 vehicles travelling along them every hour, around 170,000 people get on or off buses in Oxford Street each weekday and five underground stations serve the area and are used by over 100 million passengers a year.

The area also boasts:
- 40 theatres that contribute around £1 billion to the UK economy every year
- 100 million shopping visits every year.
- More retail space than Paris or Rome, with 120 international and 176 flagship stores
- 285,000 jobs with over 13,000 in the entertainment industry.

New West End Company
New West End Company is a company dedicated to driving forward London’s West End as the world’s top shopping destination. With a £34m budget until 2013 it is supported and run by major retailers and property owners in Bond Street, Oxford Street and Regent Street. New West End Company ensures the ongoing commercial success of the area by promoting the district, delivering street management services, funding public realm projects to improve the shopping environment. It is a leading partner in the biggest regeneration programme of London’s West End in its history. Find out more at www.newwestend.com.

Media requesting further information can contact Jace Tyrrell Ph. 07791 123 513 E. jace.tyrrell@newwestend.com.

The Crown Estate and Regent Street
The Crown Estate is valued at over £6 billion, including substantial blocks of urban property – including almost all of the property in London’s Regent Street – agricultural land in England, Scotland and Wales, and around half the foreshore, together with the seabed out to the 12 mile territorial limit. All of The Crown Estate’s revenue surplus is paid directly to the Exchequer for the benefit of all UK taxpayers, and in 2008/09 this amounted to £226.5 million. As owners of Regent Street The Crown Estate has 2002 been implementing a £750 million regeneration programme to enhance the quality of the public realm, the office and retail space, to create an international destination of quality, heritage, style and success.

The Grand Cosplay Ball
For further information on the Grand Cosplay Ball please contact Emily Bastian, press officer for the Grand Cosplay Ball at: tanabatacosplay@gmail.com or call 07922518624.

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