Vandals blamed for unsafe building that sparked Oxford St closure

Developers renovating a building on Oxford Street say vandals were to blame for damage that forced the closure of the busy shopping strip yesterday.

The building at 315-319 Oxford Street was deemed unsafe by a council surveyor, forcing the closure of Oxford Street and nearby Dering Street from about 2.30pm Monday.

Oxford Street has since been reopened and police hope to reopen Dering Street some time today.

Legal & General Property said contractors discovered damage to three steel columns on the site in the early hours of Monday.

The workers acted quickly to make the site safe, while police and building officials were notified.

A source said vandals had cut completely through supports on the site.

Temporary propping has since been re-erected to reinforce the structure to support the listed Dering Street façade, which is being retained as part of the redevelopment of the site.

Police are reviewing CCTV footage.