Calls have been made for even more outdoor dining space in Hampstead Village, after a consultation was launched on a small "streatery".

Camden Council has launched a consultation on a small area with tables and chairs in Hampstead High Street, outside the King William IV pub. Its landlord Jimmy McGrath said the proposal is a “great idea”.

Two further outdoor schemes are planned for Regent’s Park Road and Erskine Road in Primrose Hill. These are in addition to al fresco areas already in place in Regent’s Park Road.

The initiatives are designed to help businesses which have been hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

In Hampstead High Street, the pavement would be widened and 5.5 metres of parking would be temporarily removed to make way for the new area. It would be cordoned off with barriers so that the tables run alongside the pavement, next to the road.

Cllr Oliver Cooper (Con, Hampstead Town) said the small size of the Hampstead High Street plan means it is “not worth the name 'streatery'".

“Whereas Primrose Hill would have 58 tables benefiting 12 businesses, Hampstead High Street would have just four tables to benefit one business,” the opposition leader said.

%image(15148612, type="article-full", alt="Hampstead Town councillor Oliver Cooper said the "magic of streateries should be spread as far as possible"")

“There are several other places in Hampstead that would be better, and I'm pleased that Camden officials have been open to discussing them."

The proposals would see a removed disabled parking space reallocated to 75 Hampstead High St (outside Cancer Research UK), replacing residents’ parking.

The removed car club parking space would move to no 28 (outside Barclays), replacing space currently used for pay and display.

Andrew Haslam-Jones, chair of the Heath & Hampstead Society’s town sub-committee, said that the group supports streateries but that it wants to see more “joined-up thinking” on transport and environmental issues, rather than just temporary measures.

“If a way could be found to have even more pavement cafés in the future that would attract people to Hampstead whilst avoiding pollution, we think that would be a good thing,” he said.

The Primrose Hill plans would see nine metres of parking removed outside 57 Regent’s Park Road (Pesantissimo), and 12 metres of parking outside 4 Erskine Road (Manna).

The streatery in Belsize Village is set to reopen on April 13, and Camden Council said the previous outdoor dining area in South End Green was “postponed”.

%image(15159957, type="article-full", alt="The streatery in Belsize")

A Camden Council spokesperson said: “Local businesses have faced significant impacts from the pandemic and as lockdown eases, we are focussed on supporting our hospitality businesses to resume trading so they can survive and thrive.

“Creating Streateries and issuing pavement licences is one way we are supporting businesses to operate differently and to ensure they are Covid safe.

"That’s why we’re working closely with them to develop opportunities for outdoor dining ahead of the reopening of restaurants and other hospitality businesses next month.

"We will continue to prioritise the need for outdoor seating plans to consider the potential impact on traffic levels, road safety and on essential services such as waste collections."

The al fresco consultations are open to public comment until April 12. They are available at https://consultations.wearecamden.org/