Mayor gives 13 boroughs nearly £500,000 to close streets for al fresco events

The Mayor of London has funded street closures for outdoor dining and events across 13 boroughs. His press release of 29 June states that "13 boroughs have received a share of nearly £500,000 to bring al fresco dining, events and extended opening hours".

Most of the money sits with four schemes. The release states: "Four large 'al fresco' projects in Barking & Dagenham, Brent, Greenwich and Lambeth have each received grants of up to £100,000." At that ceiling, those four take £400,000 of the total.

The rest is spread thin. The release states: "Eleven smaller 'pocket' schemes in Brent, Camden, Ealing, Haringey, Hounslow, Islington, Lewisham, Newham, Sutton and Waltham Forest have received up to £10,000 each."

Lambeth's scheme is the one with a fixed weekly pattern. The release states that Lower Marsh in Waterloo is "closed to traffic every Saturday from 9am to 9pm", with outdoor seating and National Theatre Live screenings.

In Greenwich, the release names General Gordon Square, Beresford Square and Powis Street in Woolwich, with screenings, markets and performances.

Brent's scheme covers Wembley High Road, Ealing Road and Kingsbury, with more than 40 community events running Thursday to Sunday. In Barking and Dagenham, Short Blue Place becomes a street food market with performances.

The fund has run once before. The release states that last year's version "revitalised streets in Lambeth, Hackney, Waltham Forest and Westminster". It gives no value for that fund, so the record offers no year-on-year comparison.

Getting to any of it is cheaper until the end of the month. Transport for London states that its Weekend Hopper gives "unlimited bus and tram journeys on Saturdays and Sundays for the price of a £1.75 single fare each day".

TfL puts the standard bus and tram daily cap at £5.25, so the offer takes £3.50 off a day of travel. It runs from 25 July to 31 August and applies on the August bank holiday Monday.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: "I'm delighted that we're working with boroughs and local businesses to bring al fresco dining, live music, events and later opening hours to streets across our capital."

The Greater London Authority's own events calendar lists none of the schemes. Its eight current listings run from the UNESCO ceremony on 20 August to Vaisakhi on the Square in April 2027.