In order to allow buskers the chance of performing in the High Street, but to ensure they do not cause a nuisance or hazard to shoppers and traders, Gosport Borough Council has come up with a new set of guidelines.
Anyone can register as a busker with the Council, registration is free, but all permit holders must have Public Liability Insurance of £5 million, which must be shown when applying for a permit.
“Having Public Liability Insurance is vitally important these days so that in the event of any accident caused, perhaps someone tripping over a music case laid out to collect money, that they have the ability to compensate that injured party,” said Councillor Dennis Wright, Chairman of Community & Environment.
The High Street has been divided into zones allowing permit holders to play at:-
· The Falkland Gardens
· Waterfront Public House to Bemisters Lane
· Bemisters Lane to St. Mary’s Church
· St Mary’s Church to the Town Hall entrance
· Town Hall entrance to Burger King
To avoid conflict and ensure everyone has the opportunity to perform, 48 hours notice is required for a daily permit and, once registered, the permit holder will be told in which of the 5 designated zones they should commence their performance.
The earliest they can begin is 10 am and they must finish no later than 4 pm. Performances can last a maximum of 1 hour with each performer required to move east to west along the High Street on the hour.
“If any performer starts past the hour they will still be required to move on, on the hour,” added Dennis “They can only perform for a maximum 4 hours per day and they are not permitted to perform twice in the same location. By moving them along after every hour it means that for some businesses who currently find them a nuisance and a distraction, they won’t have them outside their premises for the entire day, something that we have had complaints about in the past.”
By law it is illegal for persons under 17 years of age to play, sing or perform within a street for money in accordance with the Children and Young Persons Act 1993, so proof of age may be necessary when applying if you have the enviable problem of looking young!
Copies of the Buskers code and application forms are available from the Leisure & Cultural Services Unit on the fourth floor of the Town Hall. Alternatively
Tel: (023) 9254 5605 or e-mail
leisureandcultural@gosport.gov.uk or download a copy from the website at
www.gosport.gov.uk
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