Sadiq Khan’s master plan for an epic London summer

London is set to have a thriving summer, thanks in no small part to initiatives supported by London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

When you’re enjoying a sunny al fresco dinner by the Thames, or a late-evening pub crawl on a pedestrianised Oxford Street, you may have the Mayor of London to thank for your local cafe opening an outdoor seating area, or for banning cars from one of the busiest tourist streets in the capital.

Summer will be a busy season for the capital, with the FIFA World Cup kicking off in June and high-profile gigs and festivals across the city. Harry Styles will perform a record 12-date run at Wembley Stadium, which will welcome its biggest-ever summer of music as it hosts more than 33 concerts.

Last year, London’s music scene alone brought £2.7 billion in revenue to the capital’s economy, and the Mayor is focused on preparing the city to best meet the demands of its many summer visitors, together with those of London residents.

Khan has already laid out several measures the city will be taking to improve the experience of the city for locals and visitors alike.

These range from improving transport accessibility and simplifying weekend fares to investing in al fresco dining and allowing nightlife venues to stay open later into the night.

Al fresco drinks and food

Last year, Sadiq Khan made £300,000 in funding available to London councils to transform streets into pedestrianised eating and drinking areas, brining al fresco dining to the capital.

He has committed £400,000 to the same cause this year, stating that he aims for this to be the capital’s biggest-ever summer for al fresco dining.

There are two categories of spaces the Mayor is investing in: pocket and large al fresco projects, which are expected to start in June and July, respectively.

Pocket schemes include easy changes such as converting parking bays into dining space, using existing road space, and so on.

Large schemes are high-impact projects that will see partial road closures, large-scale outdoor seating with participation from multiple businesses, and aim to be operational as frequently as possible throughout the week.

While these projects are expected to last for 3-12 months, the Mayor has said that if there are sustainable, they may be considered to be kept in place for a longer duration.

“I want our wonderful cafes, bars and restaurants to be able to expand outdoor dining and opening hours throughout the summer, providing a great experience for all and a real boost to business, especially with the World Cup set to bring people together,” Khan said.

“I want this summer to be the biggest ever summer for al fresco dining in our capital’s history and I’ll continue to support our vital hospitality and nightlife industries, as we build a better London for everyone.”

Later pub closing times

Alongside his plans to bring back al fresco dining and drinking to the capital, Khan has also laid out his plans to use new licensing powers to encourage later open hours.

The new powers enjoyed by the mayor will grant him the ability to cut through “red tape” around nightlife opening hours often imposed by councils in response to complaints from residents.

He has made it clear that his approach will be to make it easy for pubs, clubs, music venues, restaurants, and other venues to get the licences they need.

“By making it easier to extend opening hours and expand what’s on offer at night for Londoners and visitors, we can continue to grow our capital’s nightlife offer and build a better London for everyone,” Khan said.

The Mayor’ expects to ‘s new powers are expected to come into force this summer, allowing him to support London nightlife and overrule certain licensing decisions made by local boroughs.

Pedestrianising Oxford Street

In a move that has been broadly welcomed by London residents, Sadiq Khan has pledged to pedestrianise a part of Oxford Street this summer.

Oxford Street, which is one of the busiest shopping streets in Europe, sees a huge amount of footfall crammed onto pavements, while much of the road is reserved for cars.

The Mayor has pointed to the need to revive the street and make it more attractive to visitors, and he has greenlit work to close a section of the street to cars, between Great Portland Street and Orchard Street.

Car traffic and buses will be re-routed around this section, and the city aims to add seating areas, raise the road to a uniform level for easier walking, and make other changes to improve the attractiveness of the pedestrianised stretch of Oxford Street.

Proposals to remove car traffic from Oxford Street are widely supported by the public, with 66% in favour of the move.

However, Khan’s plans may have been impeded by the recent local elections, which saw the Conservatives regain control of Westminster Council. They have immediately moved to block the scheme, citing concerns over how pedestrianisation could lead to increased crime and a reduced sense of safety.

Despite these objections, it is expected that the Mayor’s plans will be able to go ahead through the mayoral development corporation (MDC) set up to deliver this project.

Transport and Weekend Hopper fare

Transport for London (TfL) is expecting a chaotically busy summer for London, as everyone clamours to travel to World Cup screenings, gigs at Wembley and other venues, and more people take late-night Tubes and buses to nightlife venues with extended closing times.

To make travel more accessible, Sadiq Khan has introduced a Weekend Hopper fare, which allows people to travel across London on buses and trams for the whole day on Saturday or Sunday for the price of a single fare.

TfL has also announced it will set up displays providing travel advice at match screenings, as well as providing information in more languages for travellers on the Elizabeth line heading to or from Heathrow.

Now read: Hollywood just won a UK court order that updates itself every time pirates switch domains