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Gordon Ramsay’s eponymous company Gordon Ramsey Holdings International has secured a High Court order for the possession of his London pub which is occupied by squatters.
A group of people, calling themselves Anarchist Association locked themselves inside the Grade II-listed York & Albany hotel and gastropub situated just outside Regent’s Park last week, setting up an “autonomous cafe” inside the building, called Camden Art Cafe, pledging to serve free food to the local community, however they have since announced that the café is closed.
In a statement Anarchist Association said: “This swanky building has been left empty for years, even though Camden has some of the worst levels of rough sleeping in the country.
“Some of these rough sleepers decided to take their right to housing into their own hands.”
“The fact that the chef was able to obtain the order that quickly shows that the legal system is designed for the rich. It has nothing to do with justice.
“Laws won’t help us, politicians won’t help us. They only serve the wealthy and powerful. Only we can help ourselves. If people are not allowed to survive, they will take action to do so. All evictions are violence. But that won’t stop us from squatting and we hope our actions will inspire others to take back control of their lives.”
Earlier this week, lawyers for Gordon Ramsay Holdings International Limited (GRHI) told a judge it had an “immediate right to possession” of the pub and asked for an order to re-take the property amid a “risk of public disturbance”.
Judge Simon Brown granted the order at a short hearing in London.
Timothy Foot, representing GRHI, which counts chef Ramsay as one of its directors, told the court that squatters had been served legal papers via email and in physical form.
Mr Foot said that GRHI “remains the leaseholder of the property, notwithstanding that it has ceased trading at the premises”.
Last week, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “Police were made aware of squatters at a disused property in Parkway, Regent’s Park, NW1 on Wednesday, April 10.
“This is a civil matter and so police did not attend the property.”
In 2007, film director Gary Love bought the freehold of the former 19th century coaching inn, and then leased the property to Mr Ramsay on a 25-year term with an annual rent of £640,000.
