A petition opposing the replacement of the operators at five cafés in north London has garnered thousands of signatures.
Earlier this year, the leases for these cafés, situated in Hampstead Heath, Queen’s Park, and Highgate Wood, were made available for tendering. Prominent figures like Benedict Cumberbatch and James McAvoy have publicly supported the initiative to retain the current operators, who are set to vacate the locations by January 31.
As it stands, over 11,800 individuals have urged the City of London Corporation, the landowner, to halt the transition of these establishments to a new operator. However, the corporation has indicated that the retendering process was initiated to ensure that the cafés continue to provide “a high-quality visitor experience.”
On December 19, the City of London Corporation, which oversees green spaces as a registered charity, announced that four cafés located at Queen’s Park, Golders Hill Park, Parliament Hill Lido, and Parliament Hill Fields would be managed by the Daisy Green chain. The operator for the fifth café in Highgate Wood has yet to be confirmed.
In a previous tendering process in 2016, the leases were awarded to Belugo, though that chain ultimately withdrew. The corporation stated that when evaluating applications for managing the cafés, they considered “several factors, including the concept, menu and food offering, as well as community and social value, rather than focusing solely on financial return,” reported the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
All current operators were invited to submit their own bids.
Doug Crawford, a member of the campaign group advocating for the existing operators, expressed concerns that the local community’s voice had been “overpowered by corporate interests.”
Conversely, Gregory Jones from the corporation noted that Daisy Green “showed the best combination of quality, sustainability, affordability, and community value.”
Daisy Green’s website lists 21 locations in London, including one at the National Portrait Gallery. Prue Freeman, co-founder of the chain, expressed their excitement at being chosen to manage the cafés, stating, “We want these cafés to remain inviting spaces where everyone feels welcome and connected to these unique environments.”
