Last weekend, Castle and Bold Street were closed to traffic to help the hospitality sector implement social distancing – now Lark Lane in Aigburth will get similar treatment. Tony McDonough reports

One of Liverpool’s best-know suburban streets will be the first outside the city centre to restrict traffic to allow bars and restaurants more room to implement social distancing.

Last weekend, the Liverpool Without Walls programme saw Castle and Bold Street closed to traffic to help the hospitality sector serve customers without comprising public health. And now Lark Lane in Aigburth is to get similar treatment.

From Monday, July 20, the street, which is full of bars, restaurants and cafes, will become a one-way road. The temporary move is the latest pilot as part of Liverpool Without Walls, a project to help the city recover from the COVID-19 crisis and pioneers by Liverpool City Council, Liverpool BID and Liverpool Chamber of Commerce.

New Government legislation on outdoor dining is expected to come into force on July 20 and the council has established an online form for businesses to apply for a pavement licence to take advantage, the fee for which will be waived.

The pilot scheme will also ensure eateries on Lark Lane, which is close to Sefton Park, are primed to capitalise on the new “eat out to help out” voucher which the Government announced this week.

It is estimated that these street dining schemes, which will be reviewed in consultation with business and residents, will add up to 1,000 hospitality covers a day across the city.

The new one-way system on Lark Lane, which allows vehicles to only enter from the Aigburth Road end, will include a series of new traffic measures to ensure the safe movement of residents and visitors throughout the day. These safety measures include:

• Existing parking bays between Lark Way and Linnet Lane will be altered using signage and cones to provide footway for pedestrians.
• Existing Keep Clear traffic order for Auckland College will not be affected.
• Provision for loading bays, disabled parking bays and “open” parking bays throughout the north of the street between Lark Way to Lucerne Street and Pelham Grove to Linnet Lane.
• Waverley Road and Little Parkfield Road will also be one-way.

Full details of the alterations, times and restrictions around Lark Lane, as well as details on Liverpool Without Walls, can be found online by clicking here.

Joe Anderson, Mayor of Liverpool, said: “Lark Lane is a unique street, it has a fantastic mix of cafes and restaurants and by making it one-way we hope people are encouraged to come back and enjoy the area again.

“As we slowly come out of lockdown providing a strong local dining offer to customers is going to be a big key to keeping the infection rate down. And the beauty of outdoor schemes like this is that it’s a win-win situation – in terms of curtailing the spread of Covid and supporting businesses and jobs.”