Central London plans nightlife “zones” due to noise complaints from residents

A new nighttime plan in Central London will see the creation of dedicated late-night entertainment zones, in a controversial move to appease noise complaints from local residents.

Unveiled as part of the first-ever Westminster After Dark Strategy, the plan from Westminster City Council names areas such as Oxford Street, The Strand and Victoria Street as zones targeted to host live music, theatre and creative venues, in a bid to move noise away from people living near existing venues in Central London.

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The announcement comes amid a decline in nightlife venues in the capital, with figures from the NTIA suggesting that 19.7% of venues have closed since the COVID-19, and issues of ongoing complaints aimed at entertainment venues from residents in Central.

Local business owners such as Jeremy Joseph, who runs LGBTQIA+ bar G-A-Y, have accused the council of only listening to locals and not prioritising the area’s culture.

Earlier this year, G-A-Y was put for sale, with its owner claiming "Soho has lost its vibrancy" and that “it doesn't feel like anyone with power cares about hospitality”.

The Westminster After Dark Strategy follows the launch of Sadiq Khan’s first-ever "Nightlife Taskforce" to address challenges facing nightlife in the capital in February.

"I'm going to try and stop that decline, and reverse it," the Mayor of London told Mixmag.

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Other aspects of the strategy include plans to encourage "quiet nights” and “calm zones” at venues, with reduced noise levels and dimmed lighting, to make entertainment areas that are sensory-friendly and inclusive for neurodiverse people.

More family-friendly night-time activities are planned, with “non-alchohol-led activities” such as late-night shopping and museum openings named in the strategy.

There’s also the aim to install an extra 100 CCTV cameras and improve street lighting amid measures to target anti-social behaviour.

Support for culturally significant LGBTQ+ spaces and measures to protect women, by requiring licensed venues to assess and mitigate women’s safety with a zero-tolerance approach to harassment, are also listed in the proposal.

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“Westminster After Dark aims to balance the needs of a thriving evening and night-time offer with the wellbeing of the residents who call Westminster their home,” says Westminster City Council’s Geoff Barraclough.

“This new strategy is our response to the obvious challenges of managing these competing demands. Following extensive engagement, Westminster After Dark explores how we will remain a welcoming, innovative, inclusive, and liveable city with something on offer for everyone.”

The consultation on the strategy runs until June 22, find out more here.