Oxford street went permanently traffic-free as it prepares for the Christmas shopping period.

The section of Oxford Street between Orchard Street and Great Portland Street is now technically closed to private motorised vehicles, buses, taxis, private hire vehicles, cycles, scooters and pedicabs.

The first stage of the pedestrianisation project will see the introduction of a temporary ‘transitional scheme’, while enabling public feedback to help refine the final designs for a traffic-free Oxford Street. In time the transformation should see more than 50 new trees, two public squares and rest areas in the newly pedestrianised area.

As an ongoing experiment it will provide data on how major urban centres could be ‘greened’, but for the moment traffic has been diverted onto nearby roads, with new bus stops along Wigmore Street, Henrietta Place and Cavendish Place, and the resultant increase in traffic will be assessed. Likewise, bicycles and ebikes have been reported to have ignored the restrictions.

Savills co-head of global retail Sam Foyle said: “As a microcosm of the UK high street, the street's performance often reflects wider retail trends, and we're seeing increasing commitment from occupiers looking to make long-term investments in high-profile flagship retail and leisure destinations. The removal of traffic represents another important milestone in Oxford Street's transformation and will help unlock further momentum at a time when retailer interest is already at exceptionally high levels.”

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