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The West End has had a hugely challenging couple of years. Covid has decimated foot traffic, stemming the surging tide of both locals and international tourists that used to flood central London's streets daily. Plus, to add to the West End's woes, online retail has soared in popularity, leading to formerly iconic shops like Oxford Street's multi-floor Topshop biting the dust. Luckily, there's a knight in shining armour coming to the rescue in the form of Westminster Council, which has allocated a whopping £190 million support fund to help the West End out.
The lion's share of this cash (around £150 million) will go to redesigning Oxford Street and the Strand Aldwych to make them more pedestrian friendly: your days of dodging chaotic traffic and rickshaws could be over. But beyond that, there are some rather creative-sounding plans afoot. Funding will go towards free public art installations and performances aimed at encouraging people to flock into town once more.
There'll also be a deep cleaning programme to get the streets looking squeaky clean. And finally, £1 million will be invested in a mammoth recruitment programme designed to help out short-staffed West End businesses find the waiters, baristas and bar staff they need to thrive.
It's a huge investment which should help encourage Londoners to get back into the centre of the city, after two years of lockdowns and Covid restrictions forced us to stay local. Will it lure people away from their thriving local neighbourhoods? It's hard to say, but it'll be exciting to see London's most famous streets looking spruce once more.
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