Conference Venues Near Oxford & Regent Street

Since Monday 26 October 2026, almost a kilometre of Oxford Street has been closed to traffic, from Orchard Street by Selfridges to Great Portland Street, Oxford Circus included. Buses, taxis and cars have gone. In their place, by spring 2027, come more than 50 new trees, two new public squares and over a hundred new seats and dining tables (Mayor of London).

For conference organisers this is more than a retail story. The West End's best-connected street is becoming a place delegates can walk, meet and linger in. If you are looking for conference venues near Oxford Street, two of our West End conference venues, 44 Hallam Street and 22 Duchess Mews, sit about five minutes' walk from Oxford Circus.

This guide covers what has changed, why the early signs are good, and what it means for anyone planning a conference, training day or reception in W1.

Why the pedestrianisation is already working

The case was made before a single barrier went up. On Sunday 21 September 2025, the half-mile from Orchard Street to Oxford Circus was closed to traffic for eight hours as a trial. Footfall was 45 per cent higher than the week before, and nearly 70 per cent of the shops surveyed reported similar or higher sales than a typical Sunday. Passenger numbers at Oxford Circus rose 25 per cent on the previous Sunday, and at Bond Street 23 per cent (Mayor of London).

Public support was just as clear. The 2025 consultation drew 6,642 responses, with almost seven in ten in favour, and a YouGov poll found 63 per cent of Londoners backed the plan (Mayor of London). The scheme was approved in February 2026, and the first phase is costed at £150 million (ABC News).

The new Oxford Street Development Corporation now runs the project. Its first phase is a transitional layout: the street is closed to vehicles while City Hall collects real-time data, and the permanent design follows. Deliveries run between midnight and 7am, and emergency vehicles keep access at all times.

It is early days. In the first week the most visible change was more space to walk; seating and planting arrive by spring 2027 (Construction Magazine). But the north-south crossings at Duke Street, New Bond Street, Regent Street and Great Portland Street stay open, and Oxford Circus and Bond Street stations are unaffected.

The revitalisation of Oxford Street

Oxford Street is Europe's busiest shopping street, and it matters to London's economy. City Hall puts its contribution at £25 billion a year, with more than half a million visitors every day (Mayor of London, 2025). After a difficult decade for the high street, the pedestrianisation is the centrepiece of a wider revival.

The signs are encouraging:

• Brands want in. Savills reports "unprecedented appetite from brands for space on Oxford Street", and the two great department stores on the car-free stretch, Selfridges and John Lewis, have both backed the scheme.
• Offices are full. Grade A office vacancy on Oxford Street was 1.5 per cent in May 2026, against 2.5 per cent across London (Westminster Property Association).
• Food and leisure are following. Operators such as Market Halls expect people to spend more time in the area once it is built around people, not traffic.

That last point is the one that matters to event planners. A street people choose to stay on is a street with more places to eat, drink and meet after the sessions end (Mayor of London).

What a traffic-free Oxford Street means for conference organisers

A better arrival. Delegates coming out of Oxford Circus or Bond Street now step onto a street without buses, taxis or kerbside fumes. The walk to a W1 venue is quieter, safer and easier to explain in joining instructions.

Four stations, six lines. No street in the West End is easier to reach. Oxford Street has four Tube stations along its length: Marble Arch, Bond Street, Oxford Circus and Tottenham Court Road. Between them they serve six lines: the Central, Bakerloo, Victoria, Jubilee and Northern lines, plus the Elizabeth line at Bond Street and Tottenham Court Road. Oxford Circus is one of the busiest stations on the Underground. All four work exactly as before the closure, and the Elizabeth line puts Heathrow, Paddington, Liverpool Street and Canary Wharf a direct ride from Bond Street.

Evenings take care of themselves. With new squares, seating and dining tables arriving by spring 2027, the street becomes a natural place for delegates to gather after the last session. Marylebone, Fitzrovia, Regent Street and the theatres are all within walking distance.

One thing to plan for. Some bus routes are diverted, with replacement stops on Wigmore Street, Henrietta Place and Cavendish Place. Delegates arriving by bus should check TfL before travelling. Taxis and drop-offs need to use the side streets, so give your coach or car company the venue address, not "Oxford Street".

London's momentum. London has been named Europe's top meeting destination by Cvent for four years running. We cover why in Why London Is Europe's Top Conference City in 2026. A people-first Oxford Street adds to that case.

Conference venues near Oxford Street: two Cavendish venues, five minutes' walk

Cavendish Venues has two purpose-built conference centres about five minutes' walk from Oxford Circus, on the quiet streets just north of the new car-free zone. That gives organisers a choice of rooms, layouts and budgets in one neighbourhood, from the same team, on one booking process.

44 Hallam Street, W1W 6JJ

The Hallam Conference Centre has a tiered lecture theatre, the Council Chamber (130 for dinner) and a range of breakout and training rooms, with the Regent room taking up to 180 for a standing reception. It is about five minutes from Oxford Circus and Regent's Park, under five from Great Portland Street and around eight from Bond Street. See 44 Hallam Street.

22 Duchess Mews, W1G 9DT

The Cavendish Conference Centre sits in a mews off Harley Street, on the Howard de Walden Estate. It has a lecture hall, the Whittington Suite (180 for dinner) and smaller suites such as the Portland and Harley for workshops and board meetings. It is about five minutes from Oxford Circus and under five from Great Portland Street and Regent's Park. See 22 Duchess Mews.

Why organisers book us

• Specialists since 1995. We have run conference venues in London since 1995 as a privately owned operator, not a hotel or a restaurant with a function room.
• Fast, itemised quotes. We reply within one business hour.
• Food handled. Our appointed caterer, Mayfair Catering, serves both venues, with halal and kosher menus available.
• Credentials you can check. Cavendish Venues is, to its knowledge, the first specialist conference venue operator in London to be B Corp certified (learn more at bcorp.com), and 97 per cent of clients surveyed between March 2025 and August 2026 rated their event 8 out of 10 or higher.
• Room to grow. For larger events, our three conference venues in the City of London take up to 450 delegates.

For walking routes and nearby stations, see our guide to conference venues near Oxford Circus.

Frequently asked questions

When did Oxford Street become traffic-free? On Monday 26 October 2026. The stretch from Orchard Street to Great Portland Street, including Oxford Circus, is closed to buses, taxis, cars and cycles.

Is the Oxford Street pedestrianisation permanent? The current layout is a transitional phase run by the Oxford Street Development Corporation. New trees, two public squares and over a hundred seats are due by the end of spring 2027, and data from this phase will shape the permanent design.

Can delegates still get to Oxford Circus and Bond Street? Yes. Both stations work as normal, including the Elizabeth line at Bond Street. Some bus routes are diverted to nearby streets.

Which conference venues are near Oxford Street? Cavendish Venues has two: 44 Hallam Street (W1W 6JJ) and 22 Duchess Mews (W1G 9DT), each about five minutes' walk from Oxford Circus.

Can a taxi or coach drop delegates at a venue near Oxford Street? Yes, on the side streets. Give drivers the venue's own address rather than Oxford Street, as vehicles cannot enter the closed section between 7am and midnight.

Plan your West End conference

Send us your date, numbers and format and we will come back with a fully itemised quote within one business hour. Request a quote, or browse all our West End conference venues.

Sources: Mayor of London, "Mayor of London marks 'momentous' new era for Oxford Street as it goes traffic-free" (26 October 2026); Mayor of London, "Mayor's landmark day pedestrianising Oxford Street significantly boosted footfall and sales" (6 October 2025); ABC News (26 October 2026); Construction Magazine (30 October 2026).