Covid 19 - What you need to know - Liverpool announce measure to boost outdoor trading spaces.

In March Liverpool City Council announced plans for pedestrianisation for Bold Street, a city centre street known for its independent eateries as part of a raft of measures for the Ropeworks area of the city.

In light of the Covid-19 pandemic a joint project between Liverpool City Council, Liverpool BID Company has now been announced for further road closures, pop up parks, architecturally designed furniture, a business grant scheme and free trading permits are all part of a new pilot package of support for the hospitality sector in Liverpool.

In addition to the aforementioned closing of Bold Street, it is now proposed Castle Street will also be closed to traffic to allow space for restaurants to trade on the street. A consultation with businesses and transport providers is underway to identify the most appropriate timing for closures.

Pavement licence fees are also being waived, until the end of the year, as part of the rejuvenation plans

All independent restaurants in the city can now apply for a grant of up to £4,000 for them to purchase furniture which will allow them to trade outside, with the level of grant depending on the number of additional seats each restaurant can create. More information, and details of how to apply for furniture and a street café licence, can be found at www.loveyourliverpool.com.

Chief Executive of Liverpool BID Company and chair of the Liverpool Visitor Economy Network (LVEN), Bill Addy, said:

“With road closures, parking bay suspensions, social distancing guidelines and ensuring accessibility, this is a very complicated piece of work, but I think this is the start of revolution in how we use the city centre.

“I know lots of restaurants are desperate to open their doors and I wish we could help every single one of them in this first phase, but we need to be measured and realistic in our roll out so we can get this right and in turn support more and more businesses over the coming weeks.”

Source – Liverpool Express.