West End buskers could face ban in parts of Oxford Street over noise complaints

Busking could be banned from long stretches of Oxford Street as part of a proposed crackdown on live performers in the West End.

Entertainers such as singers, magicians and comedians would be forced to apply for a licence to perform at just three regulated pitches at the western end of Europe’s busiest shopping street, as well as a handful of other busker hotspots including Piccadilly Circus, Chinatown and Leicester Square.

They currently face few restrictions — apart from in Covent Garden — but Westminster council says it has been forced to take action by a growing number of complaints about “excessive noise and overcrowding”.

The local authority’s proposed “Busking and Street Entertainment Policy” would limit performers on 1.2-mile-long Oxford Street to pitches at Marble Arch, and the junctions with Old Quebec Street and Vere Street, with fines of up to £1,000 for flouting the rules.

There would be no pitches east of Bond Street. Performers would be banned from using amplification at Old Quebec Street and Vere Street, as well as at other sites across the West End.

Under the plans there would also be two regulated pitches in Leicester Square and one each in Chinatown, Glasshouse Street in Soho, and by the Eros Statue at Piccadilly Circus.

In a report, officials said that buskers choosing “to perform in inappropriate location cause obstructions on already congested streets for pedestrians trying to move past busker and street entertainer audiences and can result in buskers and street entertainers raising their volume to unreasonable levels”.

Buskers and local workers said the measures could kill the atmosphere in the West End.

David Reischell, 22, who has been singing and playing keyboard in Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square for 18 months, said: “If they do it the way that they want to do it, then it would stop busking, basically.

"Because you can’t really do a show for 300 people if you don’t have a speaker.”

Barman Kieran Ahuja said he liked buskers but added: “In a place as busy as Oxford Street it’s not totally surprising that they need some sort of system.”

Max Sands, 23, a customer engagement executive, said: “I think busking is good for tourism because it’s a small highlight of people’s trip.”

Ian Adams, Westminster’s cabinet member for public protection and licensing, said: “We want to strike the right balance so everyone can enjoy street entertainment, and developed our approach after a year’s engagement with key groups including residents, businesses and the busking community itself.”

A six-week consultation is due to be launched.

The Westminster Street Performer Association opposes the licensing proposal and says a ban on amplification “is the banning of busking”.