Civic Societies – from NIMBY to change agent?

Last week the Soho Society, a civic society “for all the people that have Soho in their lives” voted at its AGM for a new licensing mandate, meaning it will challenge all new applications for bars and restaurants in the area, including renewals of existing licences.

It will also object to any venue that wishes to open beyond “core hours”, which Westminster council decrees end at 11pm. The society claims the area in central London has seen an intensification of nightlife and unacceptable noise, as well as crime and litter caused by a proliferation of late-night revellers.

This led to condemnation from many quarters, including the Mayor of London, who said the Society’s objection was “bad for London”, and committed to override it through new licensing powers to be granted by the government.

The Soho Society responded that its objections were often based on concerns that growth in late-night activity had not been matched by improvements in infrastructure. Fair enough. But then the YIMBY crowd piled in, condemning the Society as joyless NIMBYs killing Soho’s nightlife and “the society holding Soho back” while others described the incident as “more planning and licensing insanity”.

These very public exchanges over a local civic society raise many questions about civic societies – what are they? What are they for? and can they meaningfully embrace the challenges of  the future while protecting the interests of the local communities they represent?

Civic societies are voluntary organisations, with 60% registered as charities, which play varied and important roles in the community life of England’s villages, towns and cities. They operate in 76% of English local authorities. Most societies have no paid staff and operate entirely through the efforts of volunteers, who tend to be retired people – but younger people are increasingly involved.

A major focus of their interest is the built environment, with particular attention paid to local heritage. After local government, civic societies are the most numerous participants in the planning system.

According to Civic Voice, the national body for civic societies in England, civic societies provide a focus for voluntary and community action to improve the places where people live, work and relax:

“They champion the importance of these places to decision makers and opinion formers in business, politics, government, the media, the voluntary sector and elsewhere. They play an essential and voluntary role in helping individuals and communities to understand and take action to improve the quality of their life through the place where they live. Civic societies promote and celebrate the best of what is inherited from the past and what is developed for the future. They are a fundamental source of civic pride. This work brings benefits to the whole community and not just to those who are members of civic societies”.

Civic Voice has over 300 members, who support its vision:

“A society where everyone says, ‘I care about where I live’”.

and its mission:

“to work with civic societies and local communities to make the places we live in more attractive, enjoyable and distinctive.”

It describes its members as

“provocative, stubborn, forceful, inspiring and outspoken on behalf of the places they care about. They are fiercely independent and grassroots organisations, often providing the grit in the oyster which stimulates people to think, reconsider and widen their horizons. They will celebrate and encourage positive action and be forthright in resisting damaging change. They are also a store of knowledge and expertise about local places which is an essential starting point in recognising and strengthening their identity”.

While many see civic societies as NIMBYs and blockers to development, my experience has been very different.

The Soho Society, for example, is an active supporter of investment in local infrastructure and public realm, and its recent comments about licensing are borne out of its longstanding campaign to provide public toilets in the area. It’s worked closely with local residents and businesses to demonstrate that the area needs more public toilets, and that the financial returns of providing these would significantly outweigh the cost. This activism has led to the provision of new public toilets in the area, and the formation of the London Loo Alliance, which actively campaigns for provision of public toilets across London.

During the recent local elections in Richmond, it was the Richmond Society that ran candidate hustings, providing a non-partisan forum for debate on local issues. The Ealing Civic Society runs free tours of areas in the borough, including new regeneration sites like the Green Quarter on the old Southall gas works site..

Each of these is one of over 100 civic societies in London that are part of the London Forum of Amenity & Civic Societies, which itself runs an open and inclusive programme of events and resources for anyone interested in planning and development and its impact on local communities.

And then there’s the London Society, one of the oldest civic societies in the country and a voice for all Londoners. Its approach – described as “respecting the past and anticipating the future of London” – is to serve as an open, non-partisan forum for education, translation, discussion and debate on all the challenges facing London and Londoners. This includes events and online content addressing housing, technology, universities, and health in addition to walking tours and podcasts about London’s built environment.

The London Society is open to anyone interested in London and offers free membership to under 30s.

Civic societies are what their members want them to be, reflecting their very essence as localism in action. Some might present as NIMBYS, others as progressive agents of change. Wherever they lie on this spectrum, all must face up to the challenges of local development in multifaceted forms, and local people have an opportunity to understand and debate these challenges through civic societies. In many cases, they can contribute to demonstrable action.

If you care about your local area and want to contribute to its future, consider joining your local civic society – and help it to drive and be the change you want to see..

Clare Delmar

Listen to Locals

15 June 2026