Mayor unveils new Night Time Enterprise Zones to support local high streets
- Bromley, Vauxhall and Woolwich are to become capital’s new Night Time Enterprise Zones
- Mayor’s £500,000 programme will help boost the selected high streets after 6pm with innovative events and business support to drive the economic recovery
- Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Harrow and Islington are also receiving funding to pilot ideas to make licensing easier for businesses
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today announced that Bromley town centre, Vauxhall and Woolwich are set to become the capital’s new Night Time Enterprise Zones.
London’s nightlife was devastated by the impact of the pandemic and with businesses now battling the spiralling costs of operating, the Mayor is doing all he can to encourage more people to use their high streets after 6pm and boost the local economy.
The boroughs of Bromley, Lambeth and Greenwich will each be awarded £130,000 to develop a range of activities and programmes to make their streets more welcoming after 6pm and supporting businesses, encouraging more Londoners to use their local high streets at night.
In partnership with the London Economic Action Partnership (LEAP), the funding will allow the boroughs to work with businesses and local communities to develop ideas to make their high streets more accessible, inclusive and welcoming at night. This includes extending opening hours and offering a greater range of activities that encourage a diverse range of people to make use of the high street after 6pm. It will also support the number of night workers benefitting from good work standards. Projects include:
- In Vauxhall, the council plans to activate unique spaces such as the Pleasure Garden tunnel, to celebrate the area’s LGBTQI+ history through murals designed by local artists, in partnership with the Royal Vauxhall Tavern. They are also identifying sites within the Vauxhall area that could be used to support culture, entertainment, leisure, education, training and wellbeing after dark.
- Woolwich will be delivering a year-round mix of events, encouraging locals and those in other boroughs to think of them as a ‘lates’ destination. They will also be creating a low level sustainable lighting scheme connecting the town centre and the Royal Arsenal, improving safety and create a more welcoming destination for all.
- Bromley will bring the high street to life with events such as library lates and sporting lates - allowing an after dark experience and exclusive access - winter lights and night markets, accompanied by a campaign to raise the profile of the town centre. In addition to this, new ambient lighting will be installed as part of work to make the pedestrianised high street more welcoming.
The announcement follows the success of a Night Time Enterprise Zone pilot in Waltham Forest in 2019, where extended opening times, events, increased promotion and repurposing council-owned buildings helped to increase footfall on Walthamstow High Street by 22 per cent.
Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Harrow and Islington are also set to receive £25,000 each to pilot ideas that make licensing policies and processes less time consuming and costly for local businesses. This is part of the Mayor’s work to support the capital’s night time businesses to recover from the effects of the pandemic.
The Mayor is determined to do all he can to make London a fair, inclusive and sustainable 24 hour city. This includes supporting night time businesses that have been impacted by the pandemic and the spiralling costs of doing business, so they can help drive our economic and social recovery.
He has introduced the first-of-its-kind Women’s Night Safety Charter for councils, businesses and venues to prioritise women’s safety at night, produced world-leading guidance for councils to develop Night Time Strategies and is offering evidence and insight through the Night Time Data Observatory to help decision making. Culture and Community Spaces At Risk programme is also providing dedicated advice and guidance for the most at risk night time spaces, including grassroots live music and LGBTQI+ venues.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Local businesses and high streets are at the heart of our communities, but they are struggling due to the spiralling cost of doing business and the lasting impact of the pandemic. I am committed to doing all I can to support them during these challenging times and am proud that we are creating three Night Time Enterprise Zones to bring innovative ideas that will support our high streets after 6pm. We all have a role to play to support our local businesses and help drive forward our economic recovery as we continue working to build a better and more prosperous London for everyone.”
Amy Lamé, Night Czar, said: “With two thirds of people active at night, our new Night Time Enterprise Zones will provide fantastic opportunities to make the most of our high streets around the clock and drive forward our economic recovery. These new zones allow us to work in partnership with boroughs to provide a boost to businesses, communities and the wellbeing of night workers and help us to pioneer better ways of living, working and doing business after dark.”
UKHospitality Chief Executive Kate Nicholls said: “The new Night Time Enterprise Zones announced by the Mayor today will be a real boost for London’s late night businesses and this move recognises the huge value they deliver to the city. The schemes to make licensing more business-focused will be welcomed by venues, particularly as it will provide some much-needed help in the current economic climate.
“The established Women’s Night Safety Charter and guidance for Councils to develop Night Time Strategies complement the extensive work that venues across the capital are already doing to ensure the best experience for customers, from start to finish. I look forward to continuing our work with the Mayor and Night Czar to support this initiative and their work with the wider hospitality sector.”
Cllr Claire Holland, the Leader of Lambeth Council, said: “Vauxhall has a long history as a popular nightlife destination, with Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens for example defining London’s nightlife in the 18th and 19th centuries.
“Today Vauxhall has one of London’s most dynamic LGBTQIA+ communities, as well as being is a diverse neighbourhood with significant Portuguese speaking and Black African populations.
“Following the Covid-19 pandemic the area has bounced back, but that recovery is now under threat from the Cost of Living crisis.
“So we are delighted to have secured Night Time Enterprise Zones status to help us deal with those impacts and work with our community partners on plans to create new activities, spaces and employment opportunities in Vauxhall that support local nightlife venues, boosts economic activity in the area after 6pm and benefits all our communities.”
Councillor Anthony Okereke, Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, said: “This is an exciting opportunity to develop a more vibrant, diverse and inclusive night-time economy in Woolwich. The Night Time Enterprise Zone will boost our ongoing work to encourage more people to support Woolwich businesses and spend time in our high streets. We want our residents and businesses to feel the benefit of this. Our involvement in the programme should help build confidence in the town centre as a night time destination, connecting the growing night time activity on the Arsenal with the town centre and boosting Woolwich’s profile as a 'lates' destination. We look forward to working with local businesses and communities to develop a programme that brings enduring benefits for the area”
Councillor Yvonne Bear, Bromley’s Executive Councillor for Renewal, Recreation and Housing said: “I am absolutely delighted that Bromley has been selected to become a new Night Time Enterprise Zone. Bromley Town has long acted as central hub for our residents due to its extensive retail and entertainment offerings and following the pandemic, demand for things to do locally has been increasing, giving us a golden opportunity. We intend to stimulate night time activity with a series of night markets to accompany special events in the town centre. To support this, we will upgrade our high street, including with enhanced lighting, to help ensure a welcoming environment for everyone. I want to thank our partners for their ongoing support on this project, including Your Bromley, the town centre’s Business Improvement District. Bromley is already a great place to visit and we are grateful for this funding as we continue to make Bromley even better.”
Notes to editors
For more on Night Time Enterprise Zones visit: https://www.london.gov.uk/programmes-strategies/arts-and-culture/24-hour-london/night-time-enterprise-zones
Night Time Enterprise Zone Funding:
An open bidding process was held between June and July this year, asking boroughs to respond to the four aims of the programme, which are:
- Extending opening hours and boosting activity on the high street after 6pm, giving businesses more opportunities to increase income and footfall.
- Giving local people and visitors better access to shops and services after 6pm.
- Making the high street more welcoming and inclusive for a diverse range of people after 6pm
- Increasing the number of night workers that benefit from good work standards
18 boroughs submitting applications which were assessed by GLA officers on how they met the aims.
Each of the three chosen zones has been given £130,000 to allow these boroughs to work with businesses and local communities to develop ideas to make their high streets more accessible, inclusive and welcoming at night. The additional money is providing a programme of dedicated support and guidance for the three boroughs to help them develop and make the most of their proposals. It will be put towards staffing for events and initiatives, creating jobs and growing the local economy