Westminster Council is appealing a ruling that found buskers in Leicester Square were causing a statutory nuisance. The council was ordered to abate the nuisance by a District Judge, but is now challenging the scope of that order in the Crown Court.
If the council's appeal is unsuccessful, they would be bound by the Abatement Order, which requires them to tackle the noise nuisance from buskers in Leicester Square and prevent it from happening again. The council argues this order is too restrictive.
The appeal stems from a prosecution brought by Global Radio, which alleged the council was failing to act against buskers causing a nuisance. The council introduced a busking scheme in 2021, but the judge's order required the abatement of noise from all buskers in Leicester Square within 28 days.
The appeal against the sentence imposed by the Magistrate's Court is scheduled to be heard on March 11, 2026. The council's argument is that the abatement order should have been limited to a specific amplified pitch (pitch 9) which was the basis of Global Radio's case, rather than encompassing all buskers in the entire square.