Summer Streets Fund
This summer, the Mayor's Summer Streets Fund is supporting local projects to introduce new al fresco dining hotspots and extend opening hours across the city.
About the fund
The Government has announced a new strategic licensing role for the Mayor of London to boost hospitality, culture and nightlife by making licensing easier. Whilst that scheme is developed with local authorities, businesses and the police, the Mayor wants to support London’s night time economy this summer.
As part of this, a GLA fund of £300,000 – the Summer Streets Fund – was made available to local authorities earlier this year to kickstart al fresco dining and extend opening hours for pubs, restaurants and venues in summer 2025.
The aim is to support a small number of high impact projects. The fund, which is now closed, welcomed applications of £50,000 to £100,000 per local authority and was made possible thanks to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Summer Streets 2025
Brixton, Leyton, Shoreditch and the West End were the first beneficiaries of the Mayor’s Summer Streets Fund and will introduce al fresco dining and later opening hours this summer.
What's on
On Atlantic Road, more 'Car Free Days' are being introduced on select weekends through to October 2025. These will extend into the evening to support local dining and entertainment to benefit businesses and residents alike.
From August to September 2025, Brixton’s first 'Brixton Summer Zone' will be available on Saturday evenings, offering open-access outdoor seating where people can relax with food, enhanced by live performances, workshops and Brixton's market traders.
Francis Road will extend its car free hours, making it a hub for street trading and a cultural meeting point with seating, outdoor games, late events and a weekend market. There will be further outdoor dining in the Leyton Midland Road as part of a summer event.
For the first time ever, independent bars and restaurants on Rivington Street and Redchurch Street will be able to offer outdoor dining and drinking until midnight. Both streets will be car free on Fridays and Saturdays throughout the summer and businesses will be able to apply for free licences for the first three months.
After a widely popular al fresco programme during the pandemic, pubs, bars and restaurants on St Martin’s Lane in the heart of the West End will be able to provide open air dining and drinking once again. The iconic street will be car-free from 11am to 11pm and al fresco licences available for up to 34 businesses. Plans will be brought forward to make this permanent in the coming months.
Need a document on this page in an accessible format?
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of a PDF or other document on this page in a more accessible format, please get in touch via our online form and tell us which format you need.
It will also help us if you tell us which assistive technology you use. We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 5 working days.