The City of London Corporation is yet to communicate the outcome to the operators following a remarketing process that began over the summer
Alberto D’Auria (right), who started running the Parliament Hill Café around 45 years ago, has said he has faith his family will retain the lease(Image: LDRS)
Campaigners have called for the futures of café operators on Hampstead Heath and other green spaces to be clarified as a “matter of urgency” more than a week after a decision was reportedly made.
Five North London cafés managed by the City of London Corporation were put up for tender in July with other potential operators invited to bid.
The cafés, which include facilities at Parliament Hill on Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood and Queen’s Park, have received support from celebrities Benedict Cumberbatch and James McAvoy, plus local MP Tulip Siddiq.
Residents and other visitors to the green spaces have also voiced their backing of the current operators, with fears they will be replaced by larger, less-community-minded organisations or a chain.
Benedict Cumberbatch has voiced his support for the local businesses(Image: Getty Images for Netflix)
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) previously revealed how a decision was expected to be made at a Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood and Queen’s Park Committee meeting on December 8. The issue was discussed in private, though more than a week on, operators are yet to know their fate.
A spokesperson for the Real Cafés Campaign said D’Auria Brothers, which runs Parliament Hill Café, and Hoxton Beach, which has three sites including in Queen’s Park, await further information on the outcome of the remarketing process.
They said: “Repeated emails and calls to City officials have gone unanswered and staff are becoming understandably anxious as to what the future holds for them. The decisions that the City makes impacts on the livelihoods of dozens of people and the persistent lack of communication from the City causes unnecessary suffering in the run up to Christmas.
“We call on the City to demonstrate that it really does value the contribution of the current operators and staff (as they have so often maintained in the past) and clarify the position as a matter of urgency.”
The Parliament Hill Café on Hampstead Heath was one of five included in the remarketing process(Image: LDRS)
The LDRS has also spoken directly to Patrick Matthews, Director at Hoxton Beach.
He said: “Running cafés isn’t easy because you never know what the weather will throw at you. This period of uncertainty, which began in February when the remarketing was announced, is another challenge. Like any business we welcome certainty so we can plan and also offer security to our colleagues.”
The LDRS understands the remarketing process technically remains live, and that no formal announcement will be made until all legal and contractual steps are completed.
A spokesperson for the City of London Corporation, which manages Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood and Queen’s Park as registered charities, said: “Members of the Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood and Queen’s Park Committee met on December 8 to consider officers’ recommendations following a detailed review of submissions as part of the café remarketing exercise.
“While that meeting marked an important stage in the process, it was never the point at which outcomes would be publicly announced. This remains a live and commercially sensitive process.
“We recognise how important these cafés are to local communities and the people who work in them, and a formal announcement will be made in due course.”
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