Celebrity Chef Removes Squatters From £13m Vacant Property
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey may have become a multi-millionaire through his successful restaurant chain but he is not immune to the everyday problems caused by managing vacant properties. The TV personality and restauranteur recently had to secure a high court order to remove squatters from his gastropub near Regent’s Park, causing bad publicity and a security headache.
The York & Albany pub and hotel on the edge of Camden Town had been temporarily closed while Ramsey negotiated a new lease with its owner, film director Gary Love, who purchased the freehold of the premises in 2007 and recently listed it for sale with an asking price of £13 million. On 13th April 2024 a group of initially six squatters broke into the property and took up residence, claiming they were opening the space as a community café and threatening legal action against anyone who attempted to remove them.
Nine days of unauthorised occupation
It appeared the group had serious intentions to develop the space and open it up to local people in a protest aimed at making local properties bought out by millionaires, more accessible to a disenfranchised community. The group claimed they had a legal right to occupy the building, saying in a printed notice attached to the front door that, “LASPO does NOT apply,” referring to the 2012 Legal Aid, Sentencing, and Punishment Offenders Act, which states that occupying a non-residential building is not a crime. Although Ramsey initially contacted the police, they didn’t attend as an emergency because it was a ‘civil matter’, and hence no crime had been committed.
After nine days of occupation, Ramsey’s lawyers secured a high court order on Thursday 18th April and on the morning of Monday 22nd April, with the aid of bailiffs and a locksmith, the celebrity chef took back full occupation of the building. By this time, some of the squatters had already vacated the premises. The building has historically been a legal minefield for Ramsey, he pays £640,000 per year in rent and in 2015 unsuccessfully attempted to free himself from the lease, after sizeable business losses in the previous financial year were largely attributed to the pub.
Identifying a need for vacant property security
Now it appears Ramsey is committed to at least safeguarding his occupation of the building, and hence will need to consider vacant property security until he chooses to reopen it. An empty building, particularly a high profile business in a landmark location, is an attraction for trespassers, vandals and thieves, and so 24-hour surveillance is required to protect the building and its contents.
Vacant property security can make regular patrols of the building and the surrounding area, can inspect for signs of trespass, damage or theft and can make security and health & safety checks as necessary. It is common for vacant properties to fall into disrepair because regular checks and maintenance tasks are not being carried out, this can contribute to costs and delays in reopening a business, which is common when, as in this case, a lease is being renegotiated and a business has to wait before recommencing trading.
Professional vacant property security services in Scotland
While this vacant property issue occurred in London, there are countless similar examples in the major cities of Scotland and the surrounding regions. Apardion can provide professional vacant property services which can include mobile patrols and inspections by SIA-licenced personnel and can be integrated with alarm response and key-holding services, as well as CCTV monitoring. In addition, our security guards have the legal knowledge and experience to negotiate with trespassers and unauthorised occupiers and ensure their safe and legal removal from the premises.
Whatever your security needs are, Apardion can adapt its services to ensure your vacant property is safe and secure and is well-maintained to minimise business interruption and ensure you can reopen and start to trade as quickly as possible. So if you have a vacant property that requires security and surveillance from professional security specialists, contact our team at Apardion today.
