Devendra Kumar
Gordon Ramsay Holdings International Limited has secured a High Court order to reclaim possession of the York & Albany hotel and gastropub in London, which has been occupied by a group of squatters for several months. The squatters, who set up an autonomous cafe called Camden Art Cafe, had been serving free food to the local community, but the pub’s owners claimed that this posed a risk of public disturbance. Judge Simon Brown granted the order in a short hearing in London, paving the way for High Court enforcement officers to retake the pub in the coming days.
The company, led by renowned chef Gordon Ramsay, had acquired the lease of the pub from film director Gary Love in 2007 with a 25-year term and an annual rent of £640,000. However, Ramsay had previously attempted to free himself from the lease in a legal battle at the High Court in 2015, which was unsuccessful. The pub went on sale at the end of last year with a guide price of £13 million, and it is understood that GRHI is seeking to repossess the property to re-establish its control.
The squatters had been served legal papers via email and in physical form, but none had attended the hearing or were represented by a lawyer. Timothy Foot, a barrister representing GRHI, argued that the company had an immediate right to possession of the property as it is the leaseholder of the pub. The company claimed that the squatters had been operating the property without its consent and that the cafe they had set up posed a risk of public disturbance.
The Metropolitan Police did not attend the property, citing that it is a civil matter and not a police matter. Gordon Ramsay himself had previously called the police in an attempt to have the squatters removed, but was unsuccessful. The controversy raises questions about the treatment of squatters and the role of the authorities in addressing the issue.
As the High Court order is granted, it remains to be seen what will happen to the squatters who are currently occupying the property and how the pub will be re-established once it has been retaken by its rightful owners. The company’s decision to retake the pub raises questions about the value of community-led initiatives, such as the Camden Art Cafe, and the impact that their forced removal may have on the local community.