Plans to reshape central London – including turning Oxford Street into a tree-lined boulevard to rival Barcelona's Las Ramblas – are reportedly being drawn up by the mayor, Ken Livingstone.

According to The Independent newspaper, the proposals also include a "pedestrianised corridor from Regents Park to Piccadilly" and "a grand avenue from Tottenham Court Road to Trafalgar Square".

The newspaper states that the initiative is aimed at "transforming the capital's image for tourists and Londoners by turning grimy, traffic-filled streets into paved boulevards modelled on cities like Copenhagen, Rome, Barcelona and Paris.

Livingstone's office is reportedly considering the plan after a report by the architect Jan Gehl, who has been praised for his work in "transforming Copenhagen".

His report found central London was a "maze of obstacles, poor access and overcrowded streets for pedestrians and cyclists, with narrow footpaths, dangerous road crossings and a chronic lack of seating".

Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad Ltd