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7 months ago
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Squatters who took over Gordon Ramsay's £13million London pub have been served papers forcing them to 'cancel' their soup kitchen they said they were running from the Camden eatery.
The Camden Art Cafe, a self-styled 'autonomous' group of radical activists, took over the celebrity chef's former York & Albany pub in north London last week in what they claimed was a legal occupation of the building.
However, in a post on their Instagram profile, the masked activists - who ran away from reporters at the weekend - say they have been served with papers and have had to cancel their opening today.
The statement reads: 'Apologies to everyone who was going to come along today. Papers served, cafe cancelled!'
Representatives for Ramsay, who was reportedly in the midst of handing the lease for the building over to a new tenant, have declined to comment on the latest step in the squatting saga.
The York & Albany pub in Camden, north London, was taken over by squatters earlier this month who said they wanted to turn it into a soup kitchen
The pub and boutique hotel was run by Gordon Ramsay - but the chef was reportedly in the midst of renegotiating the lease
The self-styled 'Camden Art Cafe' announced on Tuesday that it had been served papers and could not run the soup kitchen
The squatters set up inside the pub, leaving rubbish lying around, setting up board games and generally making themselves at home
Cans of spraypaint sit in a box on a table in a room of Ramsay's gastropub on Tuesday
Fresh goods sit on a shelf in the rear of the York & Albany (left) and in crates for use in the soup kitchen
A squatter appears to be curled up in a sleeping bag at the bottom end of the bar area - a pair of trainers discarded at their feet
On Sunday, the activists said they had taken over the pub to make it available to 'victims of gentrification and parasitic projects like HS2'.
MailOnline had sought to contact the squatters for comment - but they failed to respond to requests on social media and, when approached by journalists on Saturday, ran away.
A statement released on Instagram read: 'It seems only fitting that £13million properties that most locals would never be able to afford to visit should be opened up to all.
'The York and Albany is an iconic building in Camden since its opening in the 1820s; it has withstood wars and bombs, and despite what the media says, it will withstand the potentially short but hopefully long stay we squatters have here.
'At a time when Camden market has been bought out by a billionaire and many longstanding local businesses are being evicted from their units, it's even more important that we all band together in all the forms of resistance that we know and can.'
Donors dropped off raw supplies - including 10kg of potatoes - for the radical group as they moved into the Grade II-listed York & Albany pub.
Notices in the windows asked for donations and claimed that the squat was not illegal because recent changes to occupation laws only covered the unpermitted use of residential buildings.
Pictures taken on Tuesday show the building had been prepared for a fresh opening of the self-styled 'community cafe' before papers were served on the squatters.
Cans of spraypaint sat in a box on a small table in the rear room where people had been invited in last week for soup.
And in the front bar area, a squatter appeared to be asleep in a sleeping bag, a pair of shoes discarded at their feet.
Ramsay had been seeking legal advice over the weekend after the Metropolitan Police said it could not intervene in a 'civil matter'.
The cafe previously shared images of people drawing inside the squatted space
The inside of the York & Albany pub when it was still open - showing its cosy seating and plush fittings
But the pub is now a shadow of its former self - with the squatters dragging the furniture around to their liking and leaving personal possessions strewn on the floor
Two masked squatters fled from reporters on Saturday when they were approached for comment
Squatters shared images of the interior of the pub, including dogs (left) and some of the food that had been prepared (right) by the self-styled community kitchen
A piece of paper signed by 'The Occupiers' and plastered on the window, read: 'Take notice that we occupy this property and at all times there is at least one person in occupation.
'That any entry or attempt to enter into these premises without our permission is therefore a criminal offence as any one of us who is in physical possession is opposed to such entry without our permission.
'That if you attempt to enter by violence or by threatening violence we will prosecute you. You may receive a sentence of up to six months' imprisonment and/or a fine of up to £5,000.
'That if you want to get us out you will have to issue a claim for possession in the County Court or in the High Court.'
The occupation of a person's non-residential property without their permission is not itself a crime in the UK, though police can take action if crimes are subsequently committed, including damaging the property or stealing from it.
According to government guidance, squatters can apply to become the registered owners of a property if they have occupied it continuously for 10 years, acted as owners for that time and had not previously been given permission to live there.
Film director and actor Gary Love bought the freehold of the derelict former coaching inn from the Crown Estate in 2006.
Ramsay then began leasing the property in a 25-year deal in 2008, turning it into a boutique hotel and gastropub restaurant, but unsuccessfully tried to bow out of the lease in 2015.
Ramsay had claimed his father-in-law, who was then CEO of his company Gordon Ramsay Holdings had used a 'ghost writer machine' to sign his name on a document that made him personally liable for the rent. The court found in favour of Gary Love.
The restaurant has had its troubles on TripAdvisor. In 2020, a scathing review appeared on the site, criticising what it claimed was a small steak and 'over-salted' chips for £23.
The one-star review was titled, 'Gordon is not Heston', referring to rival chef Heston Blumenthal.
The Mail On Sunday reported in 2020 that the pub had racked up losses totalling a staggering £15 million since opening in 2008.
The records also reveal that the establishment made losses of more than £550,000 in just one year, to the end of August 2019.
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