It all started last June when the City of London Corporation (CoL) – which manages Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood, and Queen’s Park – decided to remarket the leases of five cafes in the open spaces.
They were operating on a ‘tenancy at will’ which meant either side could end the arrangement at short notice.
So to secure the long-term future of the cafes, CoL invited existing operators and outside bidders to apply for new leases.
Queen’s Park, Parliament Hill Lido, and Highgate Wood cafes were run by Kentish Town couple Patrick Matthews and Emma Fernandez under their brand Hoxton Beach.
Cosmin Stuparu had managed Golders Hill Park cafe for more than 15 years, while the D’Auria family had run Parliament Hill Fields Cafe for 45 years.
They all submitted bids to keep running their venues, with property specialists Davis Coffer Lyons employed to manage the tender process based on criteria such as menu, management practices and experience, community and social value, and financial offer.
Campaigners Save Our Cafes feared it would lead to much-loved independent cafes being elbowed aside by a chain, so last summer, they started a petition and staged protests outside the lido.
More than 20,000 signatures were collected, with high profile supporters including actors Benedict Cumberbatch and James McAvoy.
But in early December The Hampstead Heath, Queens Park and Highgate Wood Committee reviewed the report behind closed doors and on December 19 it was announced that four of the cafes would be awarded to Aussie chain Daisy Green.
The fifth in Highgate Wood was yet to be announced, but Hoxton Beach were told they had lost all three of their businesses and launched a second petition and Crowdfunder to help fund a legal challenge.
The petition gathered a further 20,000 signatures, but according to the CoL the negative publicity meant Hampstead Heath staff and Daisy Green owners were getting bullied and abused by the public over the fate of the cafes.
In mid January Alberto D’Auria announced it was the right time to hand over Parliament Hill Fields Cafe to Daisy Green as he approached his 80th birthday.
It was also announced that while Cosmin Stuparu would hand his Golders Hill Cafe over to Daisy Green on the eviction date of February 2, he would then take over Hoxton Beach’s cafe in Highgate Wood.
A team of lawyers working for Mr Matthews and Ms Fernandez sent a letter to CoL alleging that the consultation process hadn’t been carried out properly and the tendering process had been unfair because Davis Coffer Lyons had previously worked for Daisy Green to secure new cafe sites in London.
In addition, the lido swimming group PHLUG were angry at not been consulted over the cafe remarketing insisting the “over-priced” menus at Daisy Green were a bad fit for the year round swimmers.
The legal letter earned a ‘stay of execution’ and further legal letters are now being swapped between Hoxton Beach and CoL with a new eviction date set for March 7.
The D’Auria Brothers have now vacated their cafe in Parliament Hill Fields with Daisy Green pledging to keep some of the customers’ favourite menu items.
But the remaining four cafes continue to operate while the legal issues are resolved with Hoxton Beach intending to seek a judicial review.
Throughout the process, City of London Corporation has maintained that the decision to award the cafes to Daisy Green “followed a fair, open, and independently supported process which considered 30 bids, with the Heath Consultative Committee – representing local groups and stakeholders – involved at every stage”.
They say moving to long-term leases with Daisy Green “secures the cafes’ future and economic viability”.
CoL add: “Daisy Green is a family-run, independent, London-based business with a track record of running community cafés across the capital, committed to investment and good food and drink at affordable prices.”
Prue Freeman of Daisy Green has pledged to keep key prices affordable adding: “The cafes are special and important places and people feel very emotionally involved with them.
“A significant investment needs to go into the buildings to make sure they can last for many years, but we want to make sure they remain unique and special places place where people can feel at home.”
But Mr Matthews believes the process was stacked against them as soon as campaigners started raising a fuss over the loss of the independent cafes.
“The last eight months has been gruelling,” said the dad of two, “but it’s also been satisfying to find out how much people love what we do.
“Our turnover is usually down in the winter but this year people are really supporting us and it feels amazing to know our customers are in favour of us staying.”
