‘Soho has had al fresco for many years but this has not been the same as the Covid al fresco’

• IN your report (Al fresco Soho: return of road closures gets mixed response, March 12), you quote an unnamed person who, referring to al fresco, said: “Noises and crowds are to be expected and have always been integral to Soho’s charm… Soho must evolve to survive and al fresco is part of that evolution.”

Soho has had al fresco for many years but this has not been the same as the Covid al fresco, with streets covered in tables and chairs and extraordinarily loud noise levels.

I moved here August 1993 and there were only a handful of late-night venues. Soho was known for its many restaurants so the idea that Soho has been a rollicking party for generations is an urban myth.

As for stating that residents should perhaps move “and leave Soho as it has always been”, this is an insult to many long-standing residents who are well used to Soho being a buzzy area, but are entitled to a reasonable degree of amenity and are entitled to object to Covid al fresco becoming permanent and the area being turned into a street party.

Most residents support the temporary Covid al fresco and a little reciprocity from those benefiting would be welcome.

Soho isn’t just food and alcohol who have, by the way, benefited from rates relief, VAT reduction and government dining out promotions and, where tenants of Soho Estates, a light touch on rents.

Soho is bars, restaurants, pubs, post production, hotels, offices, theatres, and residents. And it’s this eclectic mix, not a permanent street party, which gives the area its vitality and character.

DAVID BIEDA
Dean Street, Soho, W1