Plans to regulate busking in Canterbury city centre could be brought in amid complaints about noise and music late at night.

Councillors want to introduce a voluntary code of conduct for street performers to limit the use of amplification equipment and restrict the amount of time they can play in one spot.

They also want to ban buskers from playing after 10pm after concerns were raised about neighbours being disturbed by late-night performances.

At a meeting of the Canterbury Area Member Panel, Cllr Ida Linfield (Lib Dem) said: “Problems with buskers in the city are growing. There is a busker with an amplified saxophone who plays outside Lloyd’s bank until 11 at night – sometimes midnight.

“Then people leaving pubs join in and have a singsong. It’s not acceptable for people living nearby.”

The council’s head of neighbourhood services Larissa Reed says there is no legislation to enforce rules on busking, but Cllr Linfield says a bylaw should be introduced to control it in the city centre.

Lib Dem leader Cllr Alex Perkins also referred to the effect busking was having on shopkeepers who, he says, struggle to hear customers over loud music, forcing them to shut their doors.

He said: “I grew up busking on the streets of Canterbury. It adds to the city’s character. But busking has changed. The problem isn’t that buskers are there – the problem is there are amps.”

Members voted unanimously to recommend that a voluntary code of conduct was introduced to control the city’s busking scene.

The option will now be considered by the council’s executive committee.

Buskers agree with the plans

The plans were welcomed by buskers, including beatboxer Dan Harding, 22, and singer-guitarist Josh Parnell, 19, who perform together in the city centre every day.

Dan said: “Busking definitely does need to be regulated, to give everyone a chance. Amateur musicians like us can’t compete with big groups coming in with full PA systems. But we can’t all be branded as a collective.

“Canterbury is very cultural and busking is a big part of that. More rules would be good – not to persecute people, but to make it more fair for everyone.”

Josh agreed that musicians using amplifiers gave street performers a bad name and were actually putting full-time buskers out of business.

He said: “What people need to understand is that for the majority of buskers this is our full-time job. We work long hours and it’s not the best pay.”

Josh Allen, 23, travels to Canterbury regularly to play his violin, usually setting up outside the Beaney in the High Street.

He said he welcomed a formal code of conduct.

A code of conduct might be a good thing, as long as they don’t say we need a licence.

“Elsewhere, you have to have a licence and you get moved on by wardens a lot. Canterbury’s got a really nice community busking atmosphere.”