After nearly a decade the Parliament Square protest camp, opposite the Palace of Westminster, could be outlawed under new plans from Westminster Council.

The council announced it intends to get rid of the protest camp ‘once and for all', by creating a bye-law to ‘control the use of tents and sleeping equipment in areas around the square'.

This will include parts of Whitehall, Bridge Street, the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre and the grounds of Westminster Abbey.

The bye-law will be proposed at a sub-committee meeting tomorrow, and could come into force in March next year – resulting in the protesters' tents being seized and fines of £500 imposed if they do not comply.

Leader of Westminster Council, Cllr Colin Barrow, said: ‘We have been calling for action for years and now finally we have the ability to do something about it.

‘I have said time and again we are not against public protest, but what we are against is people blighting an English Heritage site and preventing the rest of London, and its visitors from enjoying the square.'
 
The camp was first established 10 years ago by veteran peace activist Brian Haw, who has since died. In May 2010 campaigners set up ‘Democracy Village' on the green but were evicted earlier this year by the Greater London Authority under trespass laws.

The Local Government secretary, Eric Pickles, said protests like the encampments at St Paul's Cathedral and Parliament Square, had showed current arrangements were ‘far too slow' - demonstrating the need for councils to be given stronger powers to tackle protests.

‘We are reviewing what further steps can be taken to increase council powers to tackle unauthorised development and occupation,' he said.
 
The new bye-law would be enforced by the police and Westminster wardens. The council intends to amend existing rules to allow its officers the power to also seize noise equipment such as loudhailers.

The move has only been made possible since the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill was passed granting councils powers to seize anything that is flouting a bye-law.