London mayor to override opposition to outdoor dining in Soho next summer

Sadiq Khan plans to use incoming mayoral licensing powers to override opposition to outdoor dining in Soho and bring back seasonal alfresco dining by summer 2027, escalating a long-running dispute between City Hall, Westminster Council and local residents.

The move would give the London mayor more leverage over borough licensing decisions in one of the capital’s most closely watched nightlife districts. It also ties Soho to a wider City Hall push to promote outdoor dining, street events and later opening hours across London.

City Hall said 13 boroughs have received a share of nearly £500,000 for summer streets schemes that will support outdoor dining, events and later opening hours on streets this summer and into autumn. Larger schemes are due for Barking and Dagenham, Brent, Greenwich and Lambeth, with smaller pocket schemes in Camden, Ealing, Haringey, Hounslow, Islington, Lewisham, Newham, Sutton and Waltham Forest.

Soho row

Soho had a popular outdoor-dining setup during the Covid-19 pandemic, but it was later wound down amid resistance from residents and local authorities. The latest report says Khan now wants to use his expected licensing powers to restore that model next summer.

The Soho Society has recently voted to oppose all new and renewing bar and restaurant licence applications in Soho, including applications beyond Westminster Council’s core hours. That position has turned the district’s licensing regime into a flashpoint.

Residents argue the objections reflect concerns about noise, crime and litter. Hospitality backers say the restrictions are harming the area’s reputation and limiting the recovery of nightlife and restaurant trade.

Westminster Council has also resisted further expansion of outdoor dining in Soho after the pandemic-era arrangement ended. The mayor’s plan is therefore framed as an attempt to break a local deadlock rather than simply encourage a voluntary revival.

Khan was previously reported on June 1 as saying he would overrule the Soho Society’s objections to new and extended licence applications once new powers take effect. The latest report goes further by linking that stance to a specific summer 2027 target for outdoor dining to return.

What the new powers change

The incoming powers described in the reporting would let the mayor create a London-wide strategic licensing policy, make formal representations on licensing decisions, be consulted on borough policy changes and call in strategically important decisions.

That would not remove borough control altogether, but it would give City Hall a stronger role in disputes where local licensing decisions are more restrictive than the mayor wants, especially in Westminster and the West End.

A June 20 report said London has some of the strictest nightlife licensing rules in the UK and that Westminster’s core-hours approach is especially restrictive in Soho. A February report said Khan was already laying groundwork for a city-wide licensing policy to support alfresco dining and nightlife.

The reported policy shift matters beyond Soho because it would test how much influence the mayor can exert over borough licensing decisions once the new powers are in force.

Wider City Hall push

The Soho plan sits inside a broader summer streets strategy. City Hall says the funding round will support not only dining but also events and later opening hours, suggesting an effort to make streets more active and commercially useful during the warmer months.

Khan said the new powers would help support hospitality and nightlife across London. UKHospitality chair Kate Nicholls welcomed the summer streets fund and said it shows hospitality can drive activity and bring communities together.

The broader package also gives City Hall a practical demonstration of how it wants London’s public spaces to be used, not only in Soho but across a range of outer and inner boroughs.

What happens next

The biggest open question is timing. The reported target for Soho is summer 2027, but it is not yet clear exactly when the new licensing powers will be in force or how quickly they can be used on a live Soho case.

It is also unclear which specific Soho streets or venues would be included in any revived outdoor-dining scheme.

For now, the dispute underlines a familiar London policy clash: whether the city should prioritise residents’ complaints about disturbance or lean harder into hospitality growth and nightlife.

City Hall, Westminster Council and the Soho Society have not yet issued fresh written responses to the latest report.