Mayfair and Soho could be included in anti-social behaviour order

BBC News

2 days ago

Westminster Council has proposed expanding measures to deter anti-social behaviour, including engine revving and car racing.The council first implemented a public space protection order (PSPO) in 2021, and a report has now said this should be expanded to cover Soho and Mayfair.The report identified "a problem with anti-social vehicle use in the West End", which is "undermining public safety and damaging public roads".A final decision will be made by the council on 20 August, to come into effect from 29 August, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
The proposed expansion is largely in response to issues on Bond Street.The New West End Company reported that, between April 2023 and June 2025, there were 33 reported car meets on New Bond Street, with the Metropolitan Police called on 25 of these occasions.One such incident occurred in the early hours of 27 July, when the report says a "large group of masked individuals" with 30 cars and 20 bikes gathered on the street and became hostile, including attacking a bus.
Westminster Council said it had handed out 368 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) for breaches of the PSPO since 2021, many for illegal car meets in the west of the borough.This included drivers caught doing stunts and revving their cars on Pall Mall last September, near Buckingham Palace, producing noise the same volume as a jackhammer.The existing PSPO covers most of St James's ward, Knightsbridge and Belgravia, and was renewed in December 2024 for a further three years.During the renewal process, a consultation was carried out asking for feedback on other affected areas and whether the PSPO should be expanded.This received 47 responses, all of which supported expanding the PSPO area, according to the report published on 12 August.A final decision will be made by the council's cabinet minister for children and public protection, Aicha Less.
The report recommended the PSPO should cover activities including revving engines, sudden or rapid acceleration, car racing, performing stunts, sounding horns, playing music from a vehicle, obstructing roads, and threatening, intimidating behaviour.It also advised renewing the PSPO as a whole until August 2028.A PSPO allows the council and police to issue FPNs for specified anti-social actions in a designated area between 12pm and 6am, with a maximum fine of £100.
The report says that "the impact of this behaviour is a growing concern for the public, local businesses, and the council".This included tyre burnouts causing lasting skid marks on roads, and anti-social vehicle use disrupting businesses' security systems by triggering false alarms.
Max Sullivan, the council's cabinet minister for streets, said: "Illegal and dangerous driving is a blight on our streets, putting lives at risk and disrupting people going about their days and evenings."He pledged a "zero-tolerance approach" from the council, working with the Metropolitan Police "to tackle illegal car meets head-on".
The proposals are supported by the Soho Society, a community association representing local residents and businesses.Their chairman Tim Lord told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "We have had a spate of motorbike racing late at night which appears to be dangerous and is incomprehensibly loud and frightening for visitors, residents and businesses."Conservative West End councillor Tim Barnes also backed the plans, posting on X that he was "delighted" by the proposed expansion.