Street artists hold placards as they protest outside city hall in central London, on June 18, 2012.
Our contributor writes:
"Street artists protest outside the city hall demanding to re-open the Leicester square for street artists for this summer. They were forced to move out of Leicester Square to a site outside the National Portrait Gallery when development work began in 2010.
Leicester Square re-opened last week and is now covered in thousands of granite slabs imported from China. Street artists accused the Westminster council [of forcing them] out from Leicester square with no legal reason."
According to an article in West End Extra, council bureaucrats will carry out a review of licensed street artists. The artists pay a total of 500 pounds a month for a license to sell street art.
Leicester Square is viewed as a crucial source of revenue for street artists, especially during the summer, when there is a surge in tourism. This year has the potential to be particularly profitable, due to the upcoming London Olympics.