Leicester Square: Buskers face West End crackdown as complaints rise

Buskers at some of central London's most famous sites are facing stricter controls following a rise in noise complaints.

Westminster Council is considering tougher restrictions on street performers across the West End.

Between April 2021 and May 2023, the local authority received 5,070 complaints, with about half being noise related, according to a council review.

Leicester Square was among the areas identified as a complaints hotspot.

Other issues raised in the report included concerns over obstruction and exceeding time.

On average, the council receives about 2,200 complaints a year relating to buskers and street entertainers.

The review examines the overall implementation of the council's busking and street entertainment licensing regime.

During a committee meeting on Monday, councillors said current rules stopped them from holding significant enforcement powers without the involvement of the police.

Four options of intervention are currently under consultation at the council, including seeking a collaborative resolution, restricting amplification equipment on weekdays, banning amplification equipment entirely, and a full prohibition of busking on Leicester Square.

Currently, the council is looking to collaborate with buskers, street entertainers and businesses to collectively explore and implement ways to minimise noise and find a solution that works for all, it says.

Work is set to begin on option three - the process of unamplifying pitches on Leicester Square - but the report states that "if the collaborative approach between all parties shows signs of progress, the statutory process or decision on changing this pitch to unamplified could be slowed or suspended".

Concerns were raised at the meeting that the collaborative approach has been in place for years but has not yielded significant results, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Councillor Mark Shearer said: "If you look at the noise complaints you'll see that it just hasn't worked as a collaborative approach. It's clear that the current licensing scheme just doesn't go far enough to safeguard local amenities, especially in Leicester Square."

But the council continues to restate its commitment to the cultural importance of busking and says it will involve the Leicester Square Street Performer Association in monthly meetings to discuss the progression of the review.

Councillor Aicha Less, deputy council leader and cabinet member for communities, public protection and licensing, said: "Buskers and street entertainers are a vibrant part of our city's culture and a popular attraction for tourists throughout Westminster.

"However, we need to strike a balance so that residents and businesses are not unduly impacted with noisy performances or crowds causing disruption.

"We will continue to work with and engage with all our licensed street entertainers as part of any future revisions to our licensing policy."

Pete Kolofsky, a representative of the Covent Garden Street Performers Association (CGSPA), described the licensing scheme as "draconian".

"Imposing this draconian and unworkable licence scheme on Covent Garden amounts, in our organisation's opinion, to cultural vandalism," Mr Kolofsky said.

The next step for the review is for the licensing committee to discuss the actions from the meeting on 4 October.

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