South End Green’s “streatery” is set to open this weekend, but the slip road will not be closed .
Though delighted to get the scheme off the ground, there is some disappointment from organisers that the closure has not as yet been secured.
The council confirmed it is “undertaking further assessment” on the closure, and Cllr Adam Harrison, cabinet member for a sustainable Camden, said spaces like the streatery “will be vital for many businesses to survive in the coming weeks and months”.
Those behind the outdoor-dining plans remain hopeful the closure could happen at a later date.
READ MORE: Plans for outdoor dining in South End Green could be ‘a real gem’One of the organisers, Anastasia Stan, who runs the South End Bean phone-box café, said they would still be able to put out the same number of tables and chairs, and the bunting has been bought to celebrate opening up.
She told this newspaper: “It’s just going to take a little more time for the slip road, but in the meantime people need to know how positive the streatery will be. What it is really about is that South End Green is being given the chance to become a proper destination in Hampstead.
“There is such heritage here – the fountain, the Gilbert Scott phone box – and it’ll be lovely to encourage people to come, rather than the area just being one of transition.”
The streatery will open on Friday and the hours of operation will be midday until 9.30pm. It is expected to run through August and September.
Peter Marigold, a local resident who has also been involved in the preparation, told the Ham&High it has been a dash to get everything read.
He said: “There’s been a lot of running around, but everything should be in place. The key thing will be the restaurants getting familiar with serving people a little further away, but they’re all very enthusiastic.”
Cllr Oliver Cooper (Con, Hampstead Town), who has been a supporter of the scheme, said that although delays to closing the slip-road were a “shame”, in the short term “everything is on course”.
At the time of writing it is not known how long any review of the slip-road plans will take.
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