Funding boost for evening shopping in south London

The pilot is to help retailers recover from the pandemic

Three London town centres will be receiving £130,000 each in a bid to bolster evening High Street business.

Bromley, Vauxhall and Woolwich will benefit from the Night Time Enterprise Zones.

The plan is to help retailers recover from huge losses from the pandemic, as announced by mayor of London Sadiq Khan.

It aims to attract more night-time shoppers through a range of activities and programmes.

Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Harrow and Islington will receive £25,000 each to pilot ideas that make licensing policies and processes less time-consuming and costly for local businesses.

In Vauxhall, there are plans to create a Pleasure Garden tunnel and murals designed by local artists to celebrate LGBTQ history, in partnership with the Royal Vauxhall Tavern.

• Almost 50 shops a day disappear from High Streets

• UK loses 83% of department stores over five years

• Last Debenhams stores close their doors

Woolwich will have a range of "lates" destinations as well as a sustainable lighting path connecting the town centre and the Royal Arsenal.

Bromley will introduce library lates and sporting lates, winter lights and night markets, as part of a campaign to raise the profile of the town centre.

It follows the success of a Night Time Enterprise Zone pilot in Waltham Forest in 2019, where footfall on Walthamstow High Street increased by 22%, according to Mr Khan.

He has also introduced a Night Safety Charter for councils, businesses and venues to prioritise women's safety, which offers evidence and insight through a "Night Time Data Observatory" to help decision-making.

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