In addition to pedestrianising or part-pedestrianising roads, to create space for outdoor dining areas, the City Council and County Council will also permit businesses to operate outside seating areas on pavements wide enough to accommodate tables and chairs and with pedestrians able to maintain social distancing.
This will include a range of places like Friars Entry, High Street, Banbury Road, Park End Street, and Walton Street.
Councillor Tom Hayes, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Green Transport and Zero Carbon Oxford, said: “The Government’s decision to allow restaurants, cafes and pubs to reopen outdoor dining areas on 12 April is fantastic for rural pubs with large gardens, but could be a challenge for businesses in Oxford, particularly in the city centre.
“We want to do what we can to support Oxford’s restaurants, cafes and pubs to reopen on 12 April, if they feel they can. So, where possible, we are reinstating the schemes listed to create outdoor dining areas, and we will also be launching funding to help businesses create seating areas themselves.
“Last summer, a number of businesses told us that they would not have reopened after the first lockdown without the City Council and County Council as highway authority, creating space for outdoor seating areas.
“Oxford’s restaurants, cafes and pubs are a vital part of the city’s economy, atmosphere and culture, and provide thousands of jobs for Oxford and Oxfordshire residents, so it is extremely important that we do what we can to support them opening and get our economy moving again.”