Property chiefs join Khan in calling for West End al fresco extension

Westminster City Council faces mounting pressure from real estate bosses along with the Mayor of London to support the West End’s restaurants and bars by maintaining its al fresco revolution into the autumn and winter months.

Sadiq Khan, West End landlord Shaftesbury and lobby group the Westminster Property Association have today led calls to extend support measures for hospitality companies, as the council prepares to bring traffic back to Soho’s streets next month.

Cars have been barred from several key neighbourhoods across Soho and Covent Garden throughout the summer, providing a boon to restaurants, bars and their customers who have poured out on to the newly pedestrianised streets.

But this will stop on 30 September, when the council ends the temporary measures following complaints from residents about noise in the evenings. The council has indicated that it will base any longer-term decisions around the policy on consultations with residential groups.

Khan said: “Traffic-free roads have been a lifeline to hospitality businesses in Soho, who have been hit so hard by Covid. As London recovers, I’m determined to see bars and restaurants flourish once again, and I stand ready to work with Westminster and the local community to ensure they do.

“Far too soon”

A total of 60 streets are set to be affected by the ending of the temporary road closures, including Frith Street, Greek Street, Dean Street, Moor Street and Old Compton Street. These house hundreds of bars and restaurants, many of which have relied on al fresco customers to survive over the summer.

Shaftesbury chief executive Brian Bickell told EG the end of the measures would come “far too soon” for many businesses in the company’s 16-acre estate.

“[Westminster] should wait at least until the end of October, because there is still plenty of value to be had for the businesses out of those seats, and those businesses are still really quite scarred by the past 16 months.

“They have been able to trade indoors at normal capacity since the third week of July. You have got to give them a chance to get back on their feet. It seems premature to take it away.”

WPA chair Paul Williams, who is also chief executive of listed office landlord Derwent London, suggested a four-week extension to allow hospitality businesses to maximise end-of-summer trade.

He said this would allow “more time for responsible landowners to work with Westminster City Council to bring forward well-managed, longer-term al fresco solutions that support the council’s ambitious vision for the West End”.

Williams added: “This would help lead to more permanent solutions for the area’s economic and social recovery and its long-term success.

“We fully appreciate the sensitivity of some isolated issues and agree that, by far, the best approach is to secure widespread community support. The current al fresco arrangement was understandably introduced at speed.

“Clearly some improvements can, and should, be made around the management and appearance of certain outdoor dining spots, particularly if they are to be longer-term schemes for the West End.”

Westminster to consult residents

Westminster has signalled that it will consider bringing in permanent hospitality support measures in certain areas of the West End but only with the approval of residents.

Community groups, however, have resisted the measures, some criticising the extent to which punters have had free reign over Soho’s streets.

Residents’ association the Soho Society slammed Westminster for failing to consult locals over its summer al fresco plans earlier this year. Society chair Tim Lord said: “While some residents were unaffected many others have had a hellish time with noise, access issues and street fouling. The council promised repeatedly it was temporary and then extended it to 2021 without any discussion with residents.”

However, John James, the managing director of landlord Soho Estates, said it was “a minority” of residents who opposed the policy, and that it had “massively enhanced the area as a whole”.

“Without the al fresco situation this summer a significant amount of businesses would have had to close. The Covid-19 pandemic is not over yet. This is a make-or-break issue for them,” he added.

A spokesperson for Westminster City Council said: “Let’s be clear, the lifeline that is al fresco dining can continue beyond 30 September, and we will work closely with businesses to help them find ways to access outdoor space.

“However, we always intended interventions such as road closures and barriers to be temporary and we have been clear that these will be withdrawn at the end of next month as we enter the autumn period.

“While the schemes were extended three times, now is the point at which we need to consult residents on whether or not they should continue, and the colder and rainier months are the best time to do that.

“We are already engaging residents in six areas across the city, including Covent Garden, on whether some of the temporary measures should be transitioned into new long-term schemes.”