Al fresco in the West End: ‘This was tried during the Covid-19 pandemic and was such a disaster the Tories lost the city council’

• BAR manager Robert Miu, “…would love for Soho and Chinatown to be pedestrianised” so that he can have “much more revenue”, (Pleas for bars to stay open in ‘24-hour city’, August 19).

This was tried during the Covid-19 pandemic and was such a disaster the Tories lost the city council.

Mr Miu blithely acknowledges that neighbours “do get quite upset when we stay open until 5am…” because of the “drama they can see outside, police cars, ambulances”. Er… quite!

Bar owner Marco Arrigo bizarrely blames aging punk rockers for his problems – whatever they are – and bar manager James Langer moans that it, “would make a massive difference to our takings”, were it not for the fact that, “a lot of people chose to live here and like to get involved”.

How dare they!

They point out that in other cities bars can stay open all night so rather than implying that Soho residents should shut up, or leave, why don’t they shut up and relocate to a city where they can do what they want?

MARTIN KENNEDY
Brewer Street, W1