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Busking Consultation
19 October 2020
Westminster City Council is consulting on an updated busking and street entertainment policy until 1 November 2020. BakerStreetQ will be responding on behalf of our members, but WCC has asked for us to share this more widely so that they can hear from as many people as possible, to strike the right balance.
The policy seeks to expand the number of busking pitches while tightening how they are licensed and operated. Draft policy can be seen here
We welcome the proposals and are pleased that following the first round of consultation earlier this year, suggestions from BakerStreetQ and others including to create a regulated area have been incorporated into the policy. As such, the new policy proposes that busking and street entertainment be prohibited throughout the Baker Street Quarter, with 25 designated pitches throughout Westminster for licensed street performances. Please note, this prohibition will not apply to private land.
Of the 25 licensed street pitches being proposed, two could impact our members: an unamplified pitch at the junction of Old Quebec Street with Oxford Street and an amplified pitch at Marble Arch. We are discussing these particular pitches with our members and will respond on those pitches separately.
Please note that the policy does not currently include a plan for management or regulation. Westminster City Council has confirmed that this plan will by necessity follow once the policy has been decided upon.
All feedback is most welcome so if you have any thoughts or comments, positive or negative, do please take a moment to feed them back to Westminster City Council at the survey here