Illegal car meets may face greater enforcement in Central London as Westminster City Council applies for a borough-wide injunction.
Supported by Kensington and Chelsea Council, the request for an injunction was submitted following repeated concerns about the impacts on local neighbourhoods.
Cllr Rachael Robathan, a Conservative representative for Knightsbridge and Belgravia and former council leader, has been pushing for more action to be taken to tackle the issue.
She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) she is “delighted” the application has been submitted though queried why it had taken so long.
A Westminster City Council spokesperson confirmed the application was lodged last week with the hope it can be implemented soon.
Car meets, at which large groups of people gather to showcase their vehicles and watch stunts performed, have long blighted parts of Westminster.
Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs), which allow fines of £100 to be issued, have been introduced by the council covering several locations including Exhibition Road.
There have however been calls to do more to tackle the issue, in particular from Cllr Robathan.
She has specifically been pushing the Labour-led council to resurface the roundabout towards the top of Exhibition Road, on the border with Kensington and Chelsea, to deter activities such as racing.
Cllr Robathan has also been urging Westminster to apply for an injunction, which will provide the council and police with greater enforcement powers to prevent and break-up the gatherings.
Enfield Council in North London successfully applied for an injunction late last year covering the whole of the borough.
The LDRS now understands Westminster has submitted a request for a borough-wide injunction with the court.
Kensington and Chelsea has also provided supporting statements due to some of the events affecting its residents.
Cllr Robathan told the LDRS: “I am delighted that the application for an injunction on car meets across the whole of Westminster has finally been lodged with the Courts.
“However, it should never have taken so long for this Labour-led council to have acted on something which, if granted, will make Westminster’s streets safer and hopefully stamp out these dangerous and disruptive activities for good.”
A Westminster City Council spokesperson previously told the LDRS: “The council has a zero-tolerance approach for antisocial driving. We are using every power available to crack down on dangerous car meets on Exhibition Road and across Westminster, including our extended Nuisance Vehicle PSPO.
“Partnering with the Metropolitan Police and neighbouring boroughs has seen significant enforcement including 356 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) for nuisance driving this financial year, with 54 FPNs on Exhibition Road specifically.”
They said the new anti-skid treatment is due to be installed on Exhibition Road in April, before adding: “There have been fewer reported car meets so far this year, but we will continue to use all the tools at our disposal to clamp down on this menace and keep the city’s roads safe.”
