I was hardly ever put on a heading inbound or outbound Paris. You´re expected to strictly follow STARS and SIDS and you´re almost always requested to follow the altitude restrictions published on the plates. STARS and SIDS seem to be perfectly synchronized among each other and as a result there is 50% less noise on the radio.
It´s true that traffic over London is dense but it´s hard to imagine that the way it is currently handled is the best one.