The West End welcomes outdoor dining
As lockdown restrictions are slowly lifted, the streets of Soho have been filled with tables and chairs in an attempt to attract people back into the once vibrant heart of London.
Heading into the third weekend of restrictions having been eased, the capital’s ‘Theatreland’ is once again being flooded with customers eating and drinking outdoors as they seek to get that sense of normality back into their lives.
Old Compton Street is one of many roads that has been pedestrianised in light of the pandemic. This was an initiative that was put into action last June, and with restrictions easing and outdoor dining permitted, the idea of making Soho and many other areas, traffic-free has been implemented once again.
This has helped many bars and restaurants to open for business and allowed many people, including myself, to go out and enjoy the company of friends and family once again.
According to Westminster City Council, the “measures to support hospitality businesses, include barriers in parking spaces to extend pavements as well as some timed road closures.”
The road closures that have been put into place have been extended to run until September 2021, giving these businesses outdoor spaces even after it is proposed that indoor dining will be permitted, allowing these businesses to find their feet again and prosper after a year of lockdown.
The pedestrianisation in areas such as Soho and Paddington has made it easier for businesses who did not previously have an outdoor dining area to still cater to their customers’ needs.
An advice pamphlet created by the City of Westminster outlines how businesses can make use of the road closures: “The Business and Planning Act 2020 also introduced a temporary licensing regime for Pavement Licences, which enables food and drink businesses to put removable furniture on the pavement adjacent to their premises in order to sell or serve food and drink, or for people to sit at to consume food and drink.”
It can be speculated that this act has been put into place to not only help those businesses that have struggled over the past year but to also help boost the economy. Nevertheless, I know many people will be happy to know have the opportunity to go out and enjoy the buzz of the city again.
Of 30 interview participants, 78% have ventured out to pubs and restaurants since April 12th, making good use of outdoor dining. Most of which, have not been as far as Central London due to the crowds and gatherings that have been created in these outdoor spaces.
To see people back out in public is a sure sign that we are headed in the right direction. “It makes me feel really hopeful and as someone who has worked in the hospitality sector for years, it’s nice to be looked after by others.”
Unlike last summer, when the ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ initiative was launched, this year it is unlikely that the public need an incentive to go out and spend their money, as everyone is ready to get some normal back into their lives, no matter the cost.
There is no denying that the crowds of people created in these small areas could be considered dangerous, especially as the main demographic are not currently in line to receive the vaccine, however with the streets being patrolled by police, the Covid-19 guidelines are still being obeyed.
Pedestrianising areas of London has proven to have more than one benefit, not just people piling into the streets with a pint in hand.
Yes, while London’s famous nightlife will start to return, it could also make way for a cleaner future; in restricting traffic in certain areas of London, it encourages members of the public to walk or take public transport further reducing carbon emissions. As well as reducing the number of taxis and Ubers that can cruise through these areas.
Don’t get me wrong, there is still a lot of uncertainty around going out and mingling with people after not socialising for over 12 months, but for those of us who feel comfortable with it and are following government advice, why shouldn’t we be able to finally enjoy our summer?
I like how conversational this piece is, and reading it made me feel a little more hopeful about our post-lockdown future. I would have maybe summarised the advice pamphlet in your own words, but otherwise the point about pedestrianisation is interesting and one I hope is going to be brought up lots more in the future.
Great timely, uplifting piece! Reads well and good use of imagery too. I think it could benefit from a pull quote at the beginning though to break up the big chunk of text
Hi Charlotte, this is a timely look at the use of pedestrianisation to restore some of the vibrancy we associate with areas of London such as Soho. The paragraph which begins ‘Of 30 interview participants’ needs some further explanation. Do you mean you spoke to or surveyed 30 people for this article? If you did, then it’s a shame not to see more of your findings (and quotes) used here. The other thing which would have really lifted it is quotes from someone who runs a small restaurant about just how much of a lifeline this pedestrianisation has thrown to businesses which would usually have no outdoor space. Nonetheless, your piece makes some important points. Should perhaps locations such as Soho permanently adopt evening-time pedestrianisation during the summer months?