• By Kay Buxton, chief executive of Marble Arch London BID

The Prime Minister’s announcement that conferences and events can return from the 1 October was roundly welcomed by everyone here at Marble Arch London BID.

There is more than 7,850 sq metres of combined meeting and event space for hire across Marble Arch and Edgware Road and we are home to the UK’s largest conference and meetings hotel.

This sector has suffered greatly from the restrictions that have been put in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic and for it to be able to return before the end of 2020 is of much relief to businesses.

It is not only a relief for the events and conferences businesses located in Marble Arch and Edgware Road, but also other retail and hospitality businesses in the area that rely on the trade brought by these visitors to these events.

Many of the local hotels are used by visiting attendees, while the restaurants, pubs and retailers cater for these visitors as well.

Alongside the return of conferences and events, was the news that casinos will be allowed to reopen from 1 August. This again was much welcomed by many of our BID members due to us being home to one of the largest casinos in London. The trade it receives again supports the fabric of the local economy and is a pulling point for us attracting visitors to the area from further afield.

Combined with these announcements was the welcomed news that the Government was changing its guidance on employees going back to work and on them using public transport.

Since restaurants and pubs reopened on 4 July, we have worked with many of the operators in the Marble Arch area and were delighted to see so many of our businesses return, with robust reopening plans and training for all staff on the new ways of operating. These ranged from chain restaurants to local independents all of which play a vital role in the make-up of the Marble Arch and Edgware Road area.

Many have started to see an encouraging flow of business since reopening, mainly from local residents, of which the Marble Arch and Edgware Road area benefits from a strong residential population.

The BID’s work with Westminster City Council to enable cafes, restaurants, bars and hotels in the area to provide additional external seating for customers and guests with social distancing measures in place has been crucial to helping their return.

Hospitality businesses have also relied on the advice and guidance of their local BIDs to navigate the sometimes complex and ever-changing regulations that need to be in place in order to reopen. As a result of which we have advised businesses on Westminster City Council’s temporary measures to help them apply for a fast-track licence to use outdoor space for tables and chairs, and sell alcohol using a Temporary Event Notice.

However, despite Marble Arch and Edgware Road benefiting from a robust residential catchment area, we still need to see more people to return to the area, and much of this lies with the re-occupation of offices and the return of tourists to the area.

The Government’s updated guidance which encourages businesses to allow their staff to return to work will act as a significant driver for the return of people to central London. This combined with public transport now being deemed safe to use again, will also allow people to travel in and out of London more easily.

However we as a BID can’t rest on our laurels as there are still some people that will be uneasy about returning to central London.

To help persuade our colleagues in offices across the district, as well as tourists, to return the BID has started several initiatives to encourage safe travel to and from the office.

This ranges from providing guidance on safe times to travel on public transport, to teaming up with Bike Works to offer a range of support for cycling to help office teams adjust to new ways of getting to work, and feel more confident about riding to work.

Alongside the Bike Works partnership, the BID is also delivering additional cycle parking as well as conducting regular street deep cleans along with our street team helping businesses manage their external environments, queue systems, security concerns and enforcing social distancing the area.

The Government’s announcement has been met with huge relief from many businesses in central London and we hope it results in increased trade for our hospitality, retail and conference businesses. But we need to make sure that we are still playing our vital role in encouraging people to return back to London and convincing them that it is safe to do so.