David Taylor meets Oxford Street Development Corporation chief planner Anne Ogundiya to talk through how the organisation achieved planning powers in six months and her design-led vision for the place – reimagining, repairing and revitalising, beyond the red line… 

Hello, Anne. How are you? 

I'm all right, thank you! Good to speak to you. 

It's been a busy six months for you, setting up an LPA at Oxford Street. Can you tell me the mechanics behind that? How do you do such a thing? 

A lot of blood, sweat, and tears! And joy; joy and delight. Six months of preparation. The 10th of August was monumental for us as an organisation not just for the planning, the local planning authority, but for the wider OSDC. It actually closes the circle on our establishment, so we have that direct role in shaping development and being able to deliver properly on the mayor's ambition for Oxford Street and the surrounding area. So that's really great. It wasn't easy! 

Why not? 

What made it difficult is because I didn't want planning just to be a simple regulatory process that development passes through. We're talking about Oxford Street, you know? The nation's high street. What we need to be able to do is to reimagine, repair, and revitalise. And in order to do that, you cannot do what has just gone on before. You've got to be adventurous. You've got to be exciting and innovative in the way you want things to unfold. 

So, for me, it was making sure that we had all the tools to enable us to be this special LPA, recognising that we were coming to an area that is pretty well established, but there's a huge amount of stuff within it. Great architecture, great heritage. As I said, it's the nation's high street. It's got to work at local level, but it's also got to work at the international level. And there are lots of people that we are talking to – residents, businesses, various stakeholders. 

So, how do we do that? How do we – how do I – deliver a service that provides that clarity and certainty that people want? Why are we here? People will say there was already an LPA. What are we doing differently? For me, it was about wanting to maintain high standards. So, there were a lot of things I had to consider. 

First of all, you have to think about the staff, the people that you're going to work with, to enable all the expectations that are out there to be met. So, my leadership had to be really clear. I had to be very clear about the high design expectations, making sure that there was early engagement, making sure that there was close alignment between planning and regeneration, and making sure that we had the ability to take a long-term view of the place that we're creating. So those were, if you like, the principles. But then I had to think about the stuff that no one talks about; the structure, making sure that we have the back-end service that will enable people to submit their applications and all of that. That's hard. 

Yes. 

And also making sure that we are agile and modern. I didn't want it to be a cumbersome process. Planning, as you know, has lots of processes, and people get nervous about it. Is it slowing things down? I didn't want that to be the way we work. So, we want to be agile. We want to be digital. We want to make the journey, the end-to-end journey for our customers, for our stakeholders, easy, or as easy as it possibly can be. Does that answer your question? 

It does. But I'd like to also ask you what you brought from previous roles and previous mayoral development corporations like the Olympic one, the London Legacy Development Corporation, and OPDC. What experience did you bring, and what know-how did you bring, and what did learn from those positions? 

Oxford Street has a very different context. So, what we were doing was certainly not about copying the Olympic model or indeed any other model. The important thing for me, though, was that there were certainly principles that I've talked about that we wanted to carry forward. The long-term view of place, legacy. You heard about that a lot when the Olympics was being delivered, and indeed with LLDC and OPDC – that is important. The close alignment I talked about between planning and regen, early engagement, high design expectations, and clear leadership. 

So, I’ve taken those principles, and I guess one of the lessons from the Olympic Park is that planning works really well when it's connected to that wider ambition for the place, rather than operating as an isolated function and as an isolated regulatory function. So, for me, I wanted us to be plugged in. I knew the importance of plugging into the wider organisation. We are OSDC. We are part of the GLA, the mayor's family. I wanted to make sure that that those were the lessons that were learned. Those were the things that we were going to do to ensure that the reason that we were set up made sense. 

My experience across the Olympics, LLDC and OPDC has shaped how I approach planning as an active part of transformation, not simply a regulatory process. It has reinforced in me the value of early engagement, design quality, clear expectations and creating certainty without lowering ambition. 

To what degree do you think pedestrianisation of the street is key? I'm looking at some early concept proposals at the moment on my screen. To what degree do you think those are key to it? I've often felt that through routes for the buses are a particular problem for Oxford Street. So, how is that vision in your mind? 

I think it's important to distinguish the two. So, we have OSDC which corporately has a much wider regeneration and planning role than the pedestrianisation project alone. Clearly the public realm proposals are obviously an important part of the transformation, but as a planning authority, we will be considering development across the wider mayoral development area. Yeah, and I see our role includes, and that's what I'm saying to my team. It includes thinking about the buildings, the land use, the heritage, sustainability, servicing, movement, public realm, and that wider economic and social life, if you like, of the area. So those programmes implement one another, and you know, planning is not just the mechanism for delivering the pedestrianisation. What's important to me is that I like to look beyond those tight red lines that you get. We should be everything has to be connected, so that that's the great opportunity that we've got if we are going to properly restore Oxford Street as a great, retail, street workplace, hospitality, leisure, culture, public life. It's those things working together in tandem. 

You mentioned the red line there. I noticed from your blurb on LinkedIn, that you're co-founder of what something called Beyond the Red Line. What is that? 

Beyond the Red Line is a little consultancy that I established with a really good friend and someone who I admire in the in the built environment world, Marina Milosev, and it really stemmed from exactly what I've just said. Wanting planning to be joined up. Marina and I set up Beyond the Red Line because we wanted to move away from planning being treated in silos looking beyond the red line of a site and bringing together planning, design, movement, economics, social value and community experience. That thinking continues to influence how I approach place shaping: not just asking whether a scheme works in isolation, but what it contributes to the wider place and the people who use it. My frustration is sometimes with seeing schemes that are almost just presented in a silo form. You've got the red line, and you're only talking about what's in it – and I'm saying permeability, connectivity, inclusion, and accessibility are all important. So, I want to know how your proposal connects with what's happening next door, or three streets away, and beyond. Any development should be a catalyst for the wider ambition of a place. And I think that's exciting. So that's why I say to developers and applicants, and indeed, you know, our team, let's look beyond the red line. Let's not do silo working. Let's see how we can make a place that benefits all. It might be idealistic, but you know… 

Well, that’s a good thing, isn't it? Idealism? 

So, you mentioned design as being central to this vision, and you've, as an organisation employed people like Hawkins\Brown and Aspect Studios, and also, you're having help with design review from people like Simon Henley and Paul Monaghan, all very respected names. How were those people chosen, and what are your hopes for the for the area as a total vision? 

So, I would say to you that yes, design is absolutely central to what we do. It's critically important. I mean, the quality of development, architecture, public realm, and the experience at street level, I think, really matters. And I think, in all, if I'm saying that my ambition is for us to be a strongly design led planning authority, then need to make sure I've got people who are going to help us achieve that ambition. That's why the planning quality review panel is important, and also, frankly, the community police shaping panel. Those are important parts of our approach. And, David, when you are thinking about how buildings work, how they meet the street, how people experience them, how inclusive they are, and whether they contribute positively to the wider area, that's not just about architectural appearance. That is what good design is about, and for me, it has a direct relationship with longevity and value. 

Buildings and places I think that are well designed tend to adapt better. They remain attractive for longer and support stronger long-term economic value. So, I think for Oxford Street and the wider area that is really important, and we have people on our planning quality review panel who get that ethos; who understand exactly what I what I want and what design-led means in practice. So yes, there was a process, and we've selected two brilliant co-chairs who will help shape what we're doing. We're called the planning, delivery, and place shaping team. That's not an accident, David. I want people to understand that we were set up by the mayor to do something differently and this is who we are… 

To do something differently from what? From other development corporations or from the work of Camden and Westminster thus far? 

I think Westminster and Camden have done an amazing job. You know, we're going to be working with them, and their development plans. So, I think that's great. But we've been given a remit to bring planning, regeneration, design, and delivery much more closely together. So that's where we differ slightly. Partnership is the key: The opportunity is to combine the boroughs’ deep local knowledge with the experience we bring into OSDC from major transformation, regeneration and MDC delivery. It is about bringing different strengths together to get the best outcome for Oxford Street and the wider area. Those relationships are really important to us, and I think they are getting stronger all the time as we move from transition into delivery. 

Two final questions. Firstly, you mentioned the team – I guess it must be very important to get the right team in place. Could you give me some words for them and also for the leadership of Nabeel Khan? 

He’s been instrumental in enabling us to get this show off the road so quickly. Six months is frankly practically unheard of. There were things happening beforehand, but to actually build the whole thing, it's certainly down to leadership. It's certainly down to getting the right people, and we've got amazing talent across the piece. What else can I say? (laughs) 

They're great to work with? (laughs) 

Absolutely fantastic to work with! We get each other. [Nabeel Khan is] ambitious for the place. He's excited by the place. He knows what good looks like, and he will do everything to ensure that we get there. He's helping. It's brilliant. Creating the kind of planning authority we want to be and building something new at pace has been a challenge, but an exciting challenge and, frankly, opportunity. What is great is that Nabeel and I are very aligned on the kind of planning authority we are creating: ambitious, design-led, commercially aware, responsive and focused on delivery. He has been a strong advocate for planning being central to the wider transformation, and that shared view has given me real clarity about the culture and approach we want to establish. We are creating a new planning authority, its culture and systems, while also supporting the wider transformation of Oxford Street and the surrounding area. 

Last question – in two parts. Firstly, could you put into words what you think we will see in 10 years, say, on Oxford Street? What markedly will have changed, do you think, in its essence? My final question part would be about your own personal experience of the street and its environs, and what you think perhaps needs to change. 

Let me answer this differently. So, I've been thinking, what's success, Anne? What does success look like for you, for me personally? These are early days. So, I would say that success would be that developers understand what OSDC stands for, communities feel they genuinely have a voice, and the quality of development becomes visible in the place itself. 

I wantpeople now and way into the future to regard OSDC as an authority that is really clear, constructive, ambitious, and fair, and I guess the real test is what you'd be saying is whether Oxford Street and the surrounding area, the MD area, becomes better because of the planning decisions we make. My phrase is: we're here to reimagine, repair, and revitalise Oxford Street and the surrounding area in 10 years' time, nay, 20, 30, 100 years, I want people to say actually they did do that. 

And your own experience? Do you – did you – use the street? Did you visit the street much, or did you tend to congregate elsewhere? What's your own personal experience before you took the role? 

I did use the street, certainly not as often as I do now. I did, and I think I want to reclaim it, not just for me, but for everyone. I feel somewhat guilty that I wasn't using it as I ought to, and the question is why. And we know we have so many visitors and from international visitors, that's the magnet. They go there, and yet a lot of us as locals don't necessarily visit it that way. I want to try and change that. 

Yes, and that's not necessarily through retail, is it? 

No. Exactly that. And that’s why we want to be ambitious - we want ambitious architecture, great public realm, sustainable development, and to that end, I need to be clear that we understand viability, deliverability, and the commercial realities generally of central London – and make it a place that it's a destination. It really is the experiential place that people want to go to, not just to shop, but 

To be? 

To play…a place to be, absolutely! Absolutely right! 

Brilliant. Well, I'm looking forward to that. You got me excited. So, congratulations on your work so far, and good luck with it all going forward. I'm sure it will go swimmingly. 

Okay, one last thing. I think I guess for me I'm excited. And your question about how we did it all in six months – it stems from an excitement. I'm privileged to be in this position. It's a fantastic role, not just from a career perspective, but this is for all of us. 

So, I am excited and passionate, and I want to do a great job, and that's why we've got the best planning committee. A really great independent planning committee. That's why we've got the planning quality review panel in. That's why we're putting together a place shaping planning panel, community panel. All of these things are stemming from a real excitement. I'm a planner through and through. I'm the daughter of a town planner, so this is incredibly exciting for me to be able to do something that is so meaningful. 

Brilliant. 

Everything I've learned has come to this point - she says! 

(laughs) All right! See you soon. 

Okay. Bye.