Manchester City centre transformed in effort to help hospitality businesses re-open safely

 

The streets of Manchester are being closed to traffic and opened up for outdoor dining and drinking. The closures will enable bars and restaurants to put tables and chairs on the pavements. The move will help cafes, bars and restaurants with limited capacity inside to reopen in safely and sustainable way starting from Saturday July 4th 2020.

 

 

You can expect to find areas in Northern Quarter, Edge Street and Dorsey Street to be pedestrianised along with Thomas Street, which has already been made traffic-free. Temporary traffic regulation orders can also be found on Blossom Street in Ancoats and parts of the Gay Village.

 

In order to comply with the new ‘one metre’ social distancing rule, several businesses will have to cut their capacities. The council hopes that by adding this extra outdoor space it can allow the businesses to increase their covers to a more financially viable level. The council are also scrapping fees for this type of licence and have simplified the online application process.

 

 

Coun Angeliki Stogia, an executive member for environmental, planning and transport, stated: “To support the hospitality industry as it faces its biggest challenge yet we will look at making streets more people-friendly by supporting road closures”.

 

 

The council’s licensing team have already received over 30 businesses requesting for permission for the use of temporary outdoor seating for the hospitality sector. The council promise to be as practical as possible when considering new applications, and moving forward are looking to continue to
review the opportunities on how public space can be used across the city.

 

Businesses can apply for temporary tables and chairs licences here.