Cafes, pubs and restaurants to turn streets into Parisian-style boulevards this April

On April 12, council chiefs will introduce 24-hour road closures of Chelsea’s Pavillion Road and Elystan Street, as well as Bute Street in South Kensington.

It will coincide with the easing of lockdown, which gives the green light to outdoor hospitality so that groups can dine and socialise.

Day time closures from 10am-4pm will continue along Portobello Road and Golborne Road as traders selling non-essential goods make a return.

Since last summer, Kensington and Chelsea Council has awarded more than 200 licences for hospitality venues to put chairs, tables and heaters out on pavements – a move also introduced in Soho and the West End.

Councillor Johnny Thalassites, the council’s lead for planning and place, said: “Kensington and Chelsea is home to some of the best places to shop, eat and drink not just in London but around the world.

“We want to give our businesses the very best chance of recovery when lockdown lifts. Closing roads and getting outdoor licences to business owners as quickly as possible are just some of the practical ways to help our borough get back to the bustling, vibrant destination we have all been missing so much during the coronavirus pandemic.”

The Bute Street and Elystan Street road closures are operating under experimental traffic orders, but the council says a decision on whether to make them permanent will be made later this year.

The borough’s infection stood at 28.8 cases per 100,000 people as of March 4, which is the most recent available data from Public Health England.

This is roughly one-third of the infection rate seen in late February, as cases have fallen sharply among age groups who have received a Covid vaccine.