Belfast’s new Noise Byelaws: Buskers and preachers face 70dB limit and £500 Fines

Revised draft byelaws aimed at tackling long-running concerns over loud buskers and street preachers in Belfast city centre have been agreed by councillors — with a proposed 70-decibel noise limit and fines of up to £500 for anyone who breaches the rules.

The new regulations, years in development and shaped by extensive public consultation, are designed to address amplified noise that has been a growing issue in the city centre for more than a decade.

For context, 70dB is roughly equivalent to a noisy vacuum cleaner, a dishwasher or a loud conversation.

Councillors at Belfast City Council’s Strategic Policy and Resources Committee meeting on Friday (11 November) unanimously backed the revised draft byelaws, which will now be sent to the Department for Communities at Stormont for approval before they can be implemented.

Disappointment over missing measures on hate speech and graphic imagery

Although all political parties supported the updated document, Alliance and SDLP representatives voiced frustration that the byelaws no longer include measures to regulate the display of graphic imagery or address preacher hate speech directed at minority groups.

An earlier draft that would have required buskers, preachers and public speakers to apply for a council permit was also removed.

The public consultation on the first version of the draft byelaws ran from November 2023 to March 2024, followed by further workshops in May 2025 and political briefings over recent months.

Stakeholders involved included the Committee on the Administration of Justice, Belfast Chamber, Linen Quarter BID, Crown Jesus Ministries, Socialist Party NI, the PSNI, Belfast One and the Free Presbyterian Church.

In total, the council received 3,571 survey responses and 14,878 written comments.

A council report noted: “Members will be aware of ongoing issues caused by noise and the display of graphic imagery in the city centre and the negative effect that this can have on social and economic activity.”

It added: “There was an extremely high level of engagement from varied sections of the public … Many of the written responses were nuanced, thoughtful, detailed, reasoned and complex.”

Permit system dropped after public feedback

The report explained why the proposed permit system was removed: “Feedback from the public survey and further engagement has indicated that whilst most respondents are in favour of regulating amplification in the city centre, a permit system is not considered to be the optimal way to achieve such regulation.”

Concerns raised included fees, potential impacts on freedom of expression, barriers to spontaneous performances and doubts about enforcement. Council officers therefore removed the permit requirement.

Instead, the revised byelaws introduce a clear maximum noise threshold of 70dB for performers using musical instruments or amplifying equipment.

According to the draft: “This decibel limit is slightly louder than the ambient street noise and should ensure that performers can be heard, whilst not being excessively loud or intrusive.”

Fines, enforcement powers and cumulative noise rules

Breaches of the new rules would be punishable by fines of up to £500. The byelaws also include a provision allowing authorised officers to issue fixed penalty notices — an approach the Department has indicated it is willing to consider, despite it being “not usual practice”.

The draft byelaws state: “No person shall, after being requested to desist by an authorised officer, cause or permit any noise to be made above 70 decibels.”

Where multiple performers are operating within 100 metres of one another, officers may intervene if the cumulative noise becomes “so loud or continuous as to give reasonable cause for annoyance”.

Other requirements include ensuring performers do not obstruct access to premises, impede pedestrian movement, and that they comply with any council-issued code of conduct.

Exemptions and alcohol controls included

The new rules will not apply to activities covered by an entertainment licence, events approved by the Department for Infrastructure or landowners, authorised parades, charity collections or official pickets.

The byelaws would also give the council powers over the consumption of alcohol in designated public places. If an authorised officer believes someone is consuming or intends to consume alcohol in such an area, they may require the person “not to consume” and to surrender the alcohol or container.

The council may additionally “restrict or prohibit the use of amplification” during special events where necessary.

Further reports ordered on enforcement and graphic imagery

Alongside endorsing the byelaws, councillors requested further reports on how enforcement will operate around the railings at City Hall, and how the council plans to tackle graphic imagery displayed in public spaces.

Members also agreed to write to the Department of Justice and the PSNI Chief Constable seeking clarity on addressing hate speech against minority groups by public speakers in the city centre.