‘Nuisance’ buskers banned from playing at one of London’s most iconic tourist spots
Westminster City Council has suspended two busking performance pitches in Leicester Square (Picture: Andy Barnes/w8media)
Buskers have been banned from playing in a major London tourist spot after the council were taken to court over ‘nuisance performers’.
Westminster City Council has suspended two busking performance pitches in Leicester Square after a judge ruled the noise levels amounted to a ‘nuisance’.
Global, which has an office space nearby, accused the council of failing to enforce the rules set out – leaving them relying on noise cancelling headphones.
The judge agreed, and ordered the council to ‘abate the statutory nuisance consisting of noise from the playing of music by buskers’.
Councillor Matt Noble said: ‘Street performers are a much-loved part of our city’s identity, but we also have to balance this with a duty to protect residents and businesses.
Simon Thomas, owner of the area’s iconic Hippodrome Casino, gave evidence at the hearing (Picture: Andy Barnes/w8media)
‘The court ruling gives us no choice—we now have a legal obligation to act.
‘This is categorically not a ban on street performers in Westminster.
‘Our next step is to comply with the ruling by suspending street performance pitches in Leicester Square, consider the court ruling and find a fair solution.’
But the court heard how set lists are repeatedly played on a loop at a higher than necessary volume.
Simon Thomas, owner of the area’s iconic Hippodrome Casino, gave evidence at the hearing, saying the consistent thumping from amplifiers makes it impossible to get any work done in his office space.
He told Metro: ‘Hosting meetings while Sweet Caroline is playing at ridiculously loud volumes is ridiculous.’
Iconic London landmark could become luxury hotel with 179 rooms and a spa News Previous plans to develop London’s Custom House have been rejected (Picture: Martin Berry/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) A grand building on the banks of the River Thames could soon be London’s latest luxury hotel. For 200 year, it was where merchants paid tariffs to import and export good flowing…
Map shows warmest spots in UK this week when Easter holidays kick off News Temperatures will be lower than last weekend but the air will feel warmer, the Met Office says (Picture: Shutterstock) Widespread sunshine will continue this week while above-average temperatures are likely to feel warmer and warmer, forecasters say. Last weekend saw the warmest temperatures since the end of last summer, with…
Daily News baseball Top 10: Crespi and Harvard-Westlake in top spots News This week’s Daily News high school baseball rankings, as of Tuesday, April 8. DAILY NEWS BASEBALL TOP 10 (Records through Sunday, April 6) 1. Crespi (14-1 overall, 9-1 Mission League) Sierra Canyon disrupted Crespi’s unbeaten Mission League record by beating the Celts on Friday. Josh Stonehouse hit his fourth home…
Map shows where Storm Olivier will hit popular holiday spots from today News The Canary Islands have become a patchwork of orange and yellow alerts (Picture: Metro/REX) Storm Olivier is set to batter popular holiday hotspots today, with some areas issued with an orange alert for heavy rain. Olivier will hit the Canary Islands, parts of Spain and Portugal today, with up to…
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok
