South London zones to get night-time economy boost

Three areas in South London will see a boost to the night-time economy following funding from City Hall.

Bromley town centre, Vauxhall and Woolwich are set to become the capital’s new Night Time Enterprise Zones, which will see focus on bringing higher footfall to the area for businesses after 6pm.

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 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 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.”

Pictured top: Vauxhall at night (Picture: Alexis Díaz Martín/Wikimedia Commons)