00:03Canterbury City Council might soon be able to fine performers like Christian from doing what
00:09they love most due to a renewal of an existing PSPO that could ban loud amplifiers.
00:16Look if some hooligans blasting is you know Scottish R&B or whatever like beats right
00:22that no one really wants to hear I get it right this is real music made by real people. Kent's
00:28only city has had a public space protection order or PSPO in place since 2024 which allows
00:36the council to ban behaviours that aren't technically illegal. Originally intended to crack down on
00:43anti-social behaviour and street drinking buskers might soon find themselves hit with an 100 pound
00:49fine for using loud microphones or speakers but what do those in earshot think?
00:55I think they're a lot of fun they're charming entertaining doing what they like to do that's
01:03not that big a deal. You know you could have an electric guitarist some might say he's too modern
01:08too loud but no it's fine it adds atmosphere. If they're too loud people won't pay them so they
01:17might end up going away naturally but I guess 90% of the people will enjoy it. It's just the
01:23usual 10% isn't it?
01:25We understand if people are complaining and there's too much noise around but the simple thing to do
01:31is for someone to tell us to keep it down and then because obviously we're performers we understand we
01:37want to sound good to others so we're not going to ever purposely be obnoxious.
01:42Now finding buskers on the streets of Canterbury might be one thing but how loud exactly is too loud?
01:49I'm about five meters away from Mo as he's performing and my phone's telling me he's averaging
01:54around 70-75 decibels now that is the equivalent of a vacuum machine running. Seeing as it's not the
02:00early morning it's not the evening it's an afternoon is that really too loud on the streets of Canterbury?
02:06Canterbury City Council has a guide to busking on their website in which they say it's an important
02:13part of cultural life. It also says that a small amplification will be sufficient and doesn't warn
02:20against using loudspeakers or microphones so could the council change its tune? They explain that they're
02:28looking to see if there's evidence residents are upset about noise on the streets and that they are
02:34aware that some performers played loudly in one place for an extended period of time but as the
02:40decision on whether or not a new quieter PSPO might gross the streets won't be made until later this year
02:48it's up to the buskers then going forward to play it by ear Megan Shaw in Canterbury
Comments