Key streets are closing to allow outdoor dining in London this summer
Londoners have a new way to enjoy this year’s summer heatwave. The mayor has announced that some of the capital’s streets will go car-free to provide more space for outdoor dining and drinks.
The new Summer Streets scheme will pedestrianise roads in Westminster, Shoreditch, Brixton and Leyton. This project is being funded with £300,000 from the mayor’s office, with the view to boost the capital’s hospitality industry.
In Shoreditch, bars and restaurants on Rivington Street and Redchurch Street have been given extended licenses to keep their outdoor areas open until midnight. Bars likely to be included in Shoreditch include Odyssey bar and lounge, Molly Mc’s and Fountain Tap. The streets will be car free on Fridays and Saturdays throughout the summer.
New outdoor dining in London: four key areas to be pedestrianised
In central London, Covent Garden’s St Martin’s Lane will be pedestrianised each day from 11 am to 11 pm, with up to 34 businesses receiving free alfresco licences. In Brixton, Atlantic Road will go car-free on select days throughout the summer and Francis Road in Leyton will follow a similar formula.
If successful, the mayor has plans to continue this outdoor dining roll out across London. In press material he stated: “The schemes announced today are just the beginning and we’re looking to build on their success across London in the years ahead.”
The Summer Streets initiative comes amid calls for more pedestrianisation in the capital. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Eat Out to Help Out scheme banned cars from certain areas such as Old Compton Street to make way for more al fresco dining. There have been attempts to bring the initiative back, but residential complaints have halted progress.
A recent HOSPA report revealed that London’s hospitality industry contributes £46 billion annually to the London economy.
There are also plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street “as soon as possible”, according to the Mayor, prohibiting cars, buses and bicycles from accessing the street. Two in three respondents to a public consultation backed the idea.