A pop-up outdoor dining space is set to arrive in Nottingham’s Old Market Square in a bid to boost city businesses post-lockdown.
The dining area has been designed to support local food and drink outlets as part of the city’s reopening strategy from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Nottingham City Council has announced the plans, with the alfresco venue due to arrive in the city on Friday, July 31.
It comes a month after the council was forced to cancel both the annual beach event in Old Market Square and the popular Riverside Festival, held on the Embankment.
As part of the new dining space, people will be able to buy items in nearby cafes, coffee shops and restaurants, which they can then eat or drink in the square.
Alcoholic drinks are not permitted in the dining space due to licensing restrictions.
The seating will be available from 11am to 8pm daily and there will be a regular cleaning regime in place, along with a number of sanitiser stations.
The Melt Bar & Grill will also be open selling summertime barbecue-style food, along with a small selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Consumption of any alcoholic drinks will be within a designated licensed area.
The dining area will be neighboured by a small selection of rides and attractions aimed primarily at younger children.
Across the square, all attractions will all comply with social distancing and other guidelines in place for the operation of rides.
Councillor Dave Trimble, portfolio holder for leisure and culture at the council, said: "We understand how disappointing it has been for people to see major events have to be cancelled because of the coronavirus outbreak.
"Nothing is more important than the safety of the public.
"However, as the school holidays begin, we were still very keen to provide a summer attraction for people in the city centre.
"We’ve again worked closely with Nottingham BID to bring this about.
"There may be understandable concern from some about coming back out into the city centre. We’re confident, though, that with social distancing and appropriate cleaning regimes and hand sanitiser stations in place, visitors to the Square can enjoy the space safely this summer."
Paige Harris, head of marketing at Mellors Group which is running the scheme, added: “We are extremely excited to be providing fairground attractions in Nottingham this summer.
"We assure visitors that we have implemented stringent health-and-safety procedures to ensure a safe but exceptionally fun environment for everyone."
