Camden Council is asking residents for their views on whether to make permanent the outdoor dining and drinking spaces on Cleveland Street, Goodge Street, and Warren Street, along with a number of other changes to the streets, in a public consultation that closes on 1 November.

Camden installed outdoor eating and drinking areas known as “streateries” at various locations in Fitzrovia during the early part of the Covid pandemic to support the hospitality businesses due to restrictions on indoor eating and drinking.

“Streateries remove parking to create additional space for outdoor seating in the road for al fresco dining, protected by barriers. In Fitzrovia Streateries have been installed on Warren Street, Goodge Street and Cleveland Street first as temporary measures in 2020/2021 which were then continued as trials under Experimental Traffic Order (ETO) for a further 18 months (until December 2023),” says Camden

The streatery plans were originally put forward by the Fitzrovia Partnership Business Improvement District (BID) who lobbied Camden Council to make highway changes “to facilitate social distancing” to help businesses.

In making its decision to introduce the streateries Camden Council did recognise the concerns of residents about the increase in noise nuisance, especially where alcohol is being consumed.

“There is concern that outdoor dining can lead to noise and disturbance on the street, especially in the later part of the evening, therefore it is necessary to achieve balance between helping businesses to recover, and providing more capacity to support walking and cycling as well as protecting residents’ interests,” says a Camden report included with the decision signed off by Bloomsbury ward councillor and cabinet member Adam Harrison in the summer of 2020.

With those Covid restrictions no longer in place, the council is now holding three separate public consultations this month on whether or not to make the streateries permanent.

In Conway Street, Camden removed a streatery earlier this year after complaints from residents about drinkers blocking the footway and causing a noise nuisance. A council report on the decision stated that “the streatery exacerbates the problems” of outside drinking.

In a previous consultation on extending the streateries programme the “biggest concern among consultees was disturbances such as noise, antisocial behaviour, smoking and dropped litter which impacts on residents’ amenity. The majority of these related to Cleveland Street and Warren Street,” stated a council report in 2022.

The Charlotte Street Association residents’ group has criticised Camden Council for prioritising businesses over people living in Fitzrovia, and many residents view the council’s control of noise nuisance from outside drinking is woefully inadequate.

After the consultation, Camden says it will “carefully consider all the responses alongside other information, to help us decide whether or not to go ahead with the permanently proposed changes”.

If a decision is made to retain the streateries and the other proposals it would be done through a permanent Traffic Management Order.

Cleveland Street proposals

At Cleveland Street Camden is proposing to permanently retain some streateries, but remove others that are no longer required by businesses by making a number of changes.

Camden is proposing to make permanent the streatery spaces outside 124-126 Cleveland Street, but reduce the size by five metres; and permanently retain the streateries outside numbers 70-72, 80 and 96 Cleveland Street.

The streatery spaces outside 68, 82 and 100 Cleveland Street would be removed.

A loading bay and the hours of loading, outside numbers 74-78 Cleveland Street would be made permanent.

An island for a tree and four cycle stands would be installed outside 126 Cleveland Street, and two bike hangars for residents outside 128-134 Cleveland Street. 

A number of changes to parking restrictions would also be made to improve sight lines and visibility for all road users at the junction with Maple Street.  

Cleveland Street Streateries and cycle parking. Public consultation open until 1 November 2023.

Goodge Street proposals

At Goodge Street, Camden is planning to keep the streatery spaces outside numbers 7, 29 and 40-42  Goodge Street, and extend and make permanent the loading bay outside number 8 Goodge Street along with the waiting and loading restrictions.

A cycle lane which runs along the outside of the extended loading bay (outside Tesco at 10-16 Goodge Street) is also to be made permanent — but it will change from a “mandatory” cycle lane to an “advisory” lane.

Goodge Street streateries, loading, and cycle lane. Public consultation open until 1 November 2023.

Warren Street proposals

At Warren Street Camden is proposing to permanently retain the the pedestrian and cycle zone on Warren Street, between the junctions with Grafton Mews and Fitzroy Street.

The zone would be permanently closed to motor vehicles except emergency vehicles, and will be used to place tables and chairs at the kerbside.

Under the plans the streatery outside 25-28 Warren Street, which includes The Smugglers Tavern pub, would also be made permanent.

Warren Street streateries. Public consultation open until 1 November 2023.

https://fitzrovianews.com/2023/10/13/views-sought-on-streateries-at-cleveland-goodge-and-warren-streets/

#CamdenCouncil #ClevelandStreet #GoodgeStreet #publicConsultations #streateries #TheFitzroviaPartnership #WarrenStreet

Camden Council is removing the outside eating and drinking enclosure in Conway Street but making permanent the facility in Whitfield Street, in a decision taken as a result of public consultations and trials of the schemes.

A council report on the decision taken in December states that the “streatery” schemes at Conway Street and Whitfield Street in Fitzrovia were introduced on a trial basis under an Experimental Traffic Order (ETO) in July 2021 as part of a wider scheme to support the hospitality sector across the borough.

A public consultation between 12 November and 4 December 2022, ongoing “feedback received during the trials”, and council officers’ recommendations informed the decision, states the report.

The streatery schemes were enabled in during 2020 when the Government introduced a temporary, fast-track, cheaper pavement licence (PVL) for businesses to put tables and chairs on the public highway for outdoor eating and drinking while social distancing rules limited indoor seating.

The legislation initially ran until 30 September 2021 but has twice been extended with the most recent to 30 September 2023.

Camden has delivered three tranches of streateries as temporary or trial measures. The first tranche was implemented in 2020, using Temporary Traffic Orders (TTOs) as approved by the director of environment and sustainability in consultation with Cllr Adam Harrison, the cabinet member for a sustainable Camden.

These covered multiple businesses in Goodge Street, Warren Street, Cleveland Street and Charlotte Street in Fitzrovia. The second phase was delivered in May 2021, also using TTOs, at South Crescent, off Store Street. A third tranche was approved at the end of June 2021 for Conway Street and Whitfield Street, using an Experimental Traffic Order (ETO) for up to 18 months, until 7 January 2023.

The streateries require both a traffic order to occupy space in the carriageway and a pavement licence (PVL) for businesses to use the space for customers to sit. Businesses also require a premises licence to serve alcohol.

Camden says the streateries contribute to the health of high streets, economic recovery, and create destinations for residents and visitors to meet and socialise, contributing to community and street life.

The council says there is widespread support for retaining the streateries, despite concerns about customers drinking alcohol outside causing a noise nuisance for residents living nearby, blocking footways, and the removal of kerbside loading space making deliveries difficult. Many residents are also concerned about the increase in the number premises in Fitzrovia licensed to serve alcohol.

At Whitfield Street the streatery in front of Gig’s restaurant will now being retained permanently following a majority of responses to the public consultation in support of it.

“The restaurant trading at the streatery strongly agrees with the proposal, commenting that their business may not have survived without a streatery, and stating that this now complements the wider benefits promoted by the West End Project,” says the consultation report.

The Fitzrovia Partnership Business Improvement District responded in favour of the proposals, stating that the streatery is well-maintained and adds beauty and greenery to the area and benefits the local economy.

The Charlotte Street Association residents’ group objected to the streatery raising concerns about potential noise nuisance from customers drinking outside. They also stated that there is a “shortage of loading bays and delivery drivers would park illegally. The proposal would not address the issues of through traffic, nuisance and road danger from motor vehicles. They would rather see safer and green streets than beer gardens for the benefit of businesses,” stated the report.

Council officers responded saying they are “not aware of reports of excessive noise at this location” but will continue to monitor the site and undertake enforcement action if necessary.

In response to concerns about lack of loading and illegal parking, there is a single dedicated loading bay on Tottenham Street, and deliveries are permitted in the residents’ bays, 20 metres north of thestreatery, on Whitfield Street.

“Streateries are not a road safety or traffic reduction programme,” state council officers and “further greening of the street scene can be considered if funding becomes available”, stated the report.

Outside the Lore of the Land pub in Conway Street, the streatery drew complaints about drinkers blocking the footway and causing a noise nuisance.

A “small majority” of respondents to the consultation objected to the streatery. The responses were split with residents largely against, while visitors and people working in the area in favour. The business trading at the streatery did not respond to the consultation.

Noise and blocking of the footway by large crowds outside the pub were the main concerns. “The comments suggest that noise and anti social behaviour have always been concerns but the streatery exacerbates the problems, enabling more people to use the space,” states the report.

When council officers visited the premises they found that the outside seating area was not being used as intended and the business had not obtained the correct paperwork to use the streatery.

The streatery at Conway Street will now be removed.

Rather confusingly, the since all the streateries implemented by this current phase are enabled under a single traffic order, “no one site can be considered unilaterally and any decision to let the ETO expire would affect all streatery sites”.

Council officers will now make all the streatery locations permanent on expiry of the ETO in January but there will be a further Traffic Management Order (TMO) consultation with the proposal to reinstate Conway Street and Grafton Way to their previous layouts and remove the streatery space.

Camden Council decision: Phase 6 Streateries Programme: Supporting the Hospitality Sector.

#camden-council #conway-street #streateries #whitfield-street

https://fitzrovianews.com/2023/01/24/streatery-at-conway-street-to-go-and-whitfield-street-to-stay/

Per @phillyinsider on IG: strict new rules for #OutdoorDining have cut the number of #streateries operators from around 800 to 22 applicants.

#streets #cities #philadelphia