{"id":378100,"date":"2025-08-27T16:50:19","date_gmt":"2025-08-27T16:50:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/378100\/"},"modified":"2025-08-27T16:50:19","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T16:50:19","slug":"al-fresco-dining-in-london-should-be-the-norm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/378100\/","title":{"rendered":"Al fresco dining in London ‘should be the norm’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Capital must look to emulate \u201ccities like Barcelona and Paris\u201d according to deputy mayor, reports Kumail Jaffer, Local Democracy Reporter<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"AlAl fresco dining in central London (used with permission \u2013 credit Facundo Arrizabalaga\/MyLondon)<\/p>\n

Outdoor dining must become the \u201cnorm rather than the exception\u201d in London, one of the city\u2019s deputy mayors has said.<\/p>\n

Justine Simons OBE said the capital must look to emulate \u201ccities like Barcelona and Paris\u201d as she launched London\u2019s fourth al fresco dining scheme in Westminster last Friday (22nd).<\/p>\n

The borough has been given \u00a350,000 from the mayor\u2019s \u00a3300,000 Summer Streets Fund to ensure pubs, bars and restaurants can operate outoor service from 11am-11pm until October.<\/p>\n

Speaking from a sunny, newly pedestrianised St Martin\u2019s Lane, the deputy mayor for culture and the creative industries said all 32 boroughs of London have been invited to get involved.<\/p>\n

Simons told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): \u201cThis is about reimagining London\u2019s streets, going al fresco, and making it the norm rather than the exception.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we go to cities like Barcelona or Paris, it\u2019s much more part of everyday life, isn\u2019t it? So we want that in London. This is really the start of it. It\u2019s starting to create a kind of sea change to imagine our city as an outdoor kind of urban environment.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve written already to all the local councils and we\u2019ve invited them to do more al fresco. And the other thing that\u2019s happening is we\u2019re looking at some licensing reform.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo we\u2019re talking to the government about having more strategic licensing powers, and that will enable the mayor to cut more red tape and encourage more, you know, more of the night-time economy, more al fresco.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a big opportunity for London. This is a long term ambition \u2013 and we\u2019ve made a great start.\u201d<\/p>\n

City Hall analysis released last week showed that if London\u2019s licensing resembled New York City, where the mayor can influence rules and regulations through changes to local laws, the capital\u2019s economy could be boosted by \u00a32billion annually as businesses are allowed to extend their opening hours and offer al fresco dining.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year ministers said they intend to give Sir Sadiq Khan new licensing powers which could allow him to overturn London council bans on later opening hours.<\/p>\n

Simons said any potential downsides to al fresco dining in the four areas it has currently been rolled out in \u2013 Brixton, Leyton, Shoreditch and now Westminster \u2013 had already been addressed.<\/p>\n

Blocking traffic from passing through streets and allowing consumers to dine outdoors could raise new challenges with both vehicle congestion and criminal activity, especially the capital\u2019s problems with phone snatching.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s been no problems so far,\u201d she told the LDRS.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s such a popular scheme, I think in the pandemic, you know, we really saw this quick move to al fresco, and it was hugely popular, and businesses have really been crying out for it.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo this is a great opportunity to bring that back and make it, you know, more part of the everyday life of the city. Businesses are really behind it. Safety is top priority, but we\u2019re doing a lot of work.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Met have funded extra police officers in hotspots. So where they are aware that there are particular issues, we\u2019re able to kind of move the capacity into those areas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mark Williams, deputy chief executive of Heart of London Business Alliance, told the LDRS: \u201cI\u2019m very enthusiastic and we\u2019re really grateful that this road was chosen as one of the trials.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know Westminster Council and the mayor\u2019s office are very keen to encourage and promote outdoor dining, and I know these four test schemes are crucial to sort of judge it, see how the traders appreciate it, see if there are any issues caused by it. It\u2019s a sort of test bed, and I\u2019m very hopeful it will grow from here.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the core West End, which is where I represent, we would like to see outside dining expanded and encouraged in all appropriate areas where it\u2019s possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

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