ON THURSDAY night, Town will be alive with people enjoying the first of this year’s shopping evenings.

Aside from a chance to find that perfect present, have a glass or two of mulled wine and chat with friends not seen since Christmas last year, the evening will be enhanced by some beautiful music.

Choirs and brass bands gathered on the cobbled streets of Town will fill the cup of festive cheer with a few carols. It’s all part of the fun.

Street music in that sense is a bonus for shoppers and shopkeepers. It lightens the mood and brings a smile to people’s faces.

But shouldn’t that be the atmosphere we want in Town every day of every year? Not just at Christmas.

In that light, the plea for buskers to be allowed to ply their trade seems a good idea. The prospect of shoppers and workers taking time out from their busy lives to stop for a few minutes and watch a human statue, a juggler or an accordion player is very attractive.

Unfortunately, unregulated busking is bound to lead to conflict.

What may be music to one shopper, to another is just noise, as Pollet acoustic guitarist Mark Guillou found to his cost last year when he was ordered to pack up by police after a complaint.

And in Oxford, a bagpipe player has been hounded out by shopkeepers who complained his caterwauling gave them blinding headaches and drove away customers.

But if unregulated busking is sure to end in tears it should be possible for the Town constables or Culture and Leisure to come up with a permit scheme which would avoid the worst of the problems.

That way a few select busking sites could be chosen and performers asked to keep the noise at reasonable levels and not to play for too long or too late before moving on or going home.

There could even be an X Factor panel of permit judges trusted with gauging if a performer has genuine talent or just a love of noise.

Culture deputy John Gollop could be Simon Cowell. That could put a smile on anyone’s face.