The Time Out London blog team

Fresh from the news that City will be introducing a drop-off fee for the first time and Heathrow will be hiking its vehicle charges in 2026, now we have more bad news for departure costs at London airports. London Gatwick, the city’s second-biggest aviation hub, has confirmed that it is increasing charges in its drop-off zones by £3 in 2026. From January the fee, which allows drivers to stop outside the terminal for 10 minutes, will be £10. This means that Gatwick will have the highest drop-off charge in the UK.  The fee has doubled since LGW initially introduced a drop-off charge in 2021; it increased to £6 in 2024 and £7 in May 2025. A Gatwick spokesperson blamed the increase on ‘a number of increasing costs’, including higher business rates. The spokesperson added: ‘The increase in the drop-off charge will support wider efforts to encourage greater use of public transport, helping limit the number of cars and reduce congestion at the entrance to our terminals, alongside funding a number of sustainable transport initiatives.’ When will Gatwick’s new passenger drop-off charge take effect? The increase will officially come into force on January 6 2026. How much is Gatwick’s new passenger drop-off charge? The new fee is £10 for 10 minutes. You can pay the fee online, by the phone or with an AutoPay account. How to avoid Gatwick drop-off fees Passengers being driven to Gatwick can still be dropped off for free at long-stay car parks (for up to two hours), from which they can...

Calling all fry fanatics! Frites Atelier has brought its cult Dutch fries to London.  If you’ve spent time in Belgium or the Netherlands, you may well have heard of Frites Atelier. The chip shop is famed for applying Michelin-starred cooking to the humble potato at its outposts in Antwerp, Brussels, Ghent and Roosendaal. Now, the elevated chippy is bringing its cult concept to Soho. The new site opened in the old Balans Soho site on Old Compton Street on Saturday (December 13). Dutch chef Sergio Herman is the brains behind the fine-dining-meets-fast-food concept. Having received the ultimate culinary accolade – the coveted three Michelin stars – in 2006 for his family establishment Oud Sluis, Herman turned his attention to the potato in 2016. His aim? To turn the simple tatty into a luxury gastronomic experience. London is the first British location to be graced with Frites Atelier’s glorious golden batons. Everything at Frites Atelier is made in-house, with the key ingredient supplied by international potato masters Lamb Weston. The signature frites dish is a Dutch staple – featuring thin and ultra-crispy chips with a soft, cloud-like interior, and always served with a sauce. Four signature ‘frites specials’ also feature on the Soho menu - Flemish beef stew, parmesan and basil, sea nori, and cheddar supreme. Photograph: Edward Howell Photography The mayo or ketchup debate can be put to one side when visiting Frites Atelier, as the menu boasts a selection of sauces...

With all its art exhibitions, film screenings, theatre performances and brutalist beauty, millions of people visit the labyrinthine Barbican every year. Millions more will visit in years to come, but in order to protect the place for future generations, the 40-year-old building is in need of a pretty big facelift. Now, plans to revitalise the Barbican Centre have officially been given the green light.  Earlier this month, the City of London Corporation approved the big ‘Barbican Renewal’ delivery plan. The corporation is providing a £191 million funding package to upgrade the landmark, which is around 80 percent of the overall £240m needed for the first five-year phase of the project. The rest will be raised through a Barbican fundraising campaign. The bad news is that to make way for work to go ahead, the main Barbican site will shut from June 2028 until June 2029. Its beloved plant-filled conservatory will close a little earlier in 2027. It’ll be worth it, though.  Some of the work has already begun and the theatre will undergo essential works for three months in January, but major upgrades are due to start in 2027. The first phase of the project will see the building’s brutalist foyers, lakeside terrace and conservatory all ‘sensitively restored and enhanced’. Right now, people can only visit the Barbican Conservatory during select times from Friday to Sunday. However, when it reopens, the centre plans to open its greenhouse to the public on a daily basis.  Image: Kin...