A couple facing the loss of their three North London cafes are taking legal action to challenge the City of London Corporation’s (CLC) decision to transfer the venues to the Daisy Green group.
Lawyers for Patrick Matthews and Emma Fernandez wrote to the CLC on Thursday to demand that it “brings some light” to how Daisy Green was selected to take over the cafes at Parliament Hill Lido, Queen’s Park and Highgate Wood.
The couple maintain they built the venues into thriving concerns run by locals, now to be replaced by a much larger Australian-themed operation. They were told last month they had to leave by February 2 – and have launched a petition so far signed by 15,000 supporters, including celebs such as Benedict Cumberbatch.
Patrick said: “It’s devastating for us personally, particularly for Emma. It’s her life, she feels it’s what she was born to do. And it’s terrible for our little girls. They are 11 and nine, and the cafes are part of their lives. They swam in the lido during lockdown, and come here every day after school – the 11-year-old wanted to work here when she was older. They can’t believe such a thing could happen.
“We just love our cafes and customers, and our customers love us.
“I think something fundamentally unfair has been done to us, and something fundamentally unfair has been done to our customers. The City should be given a chance to really step back and think about it, and I think the lawyer’s letter will help them to do that. What I believe happened is this whole process was done quickly, by a small group of people, without proper oversight and reflection.
“What I want to do is bring some light on to the whole process, so that quite an important decision – which is changing the character of these spaces by introducing quite a different kind of provision – is looked at properly, which I don’t believe it has been.”
Gregory Jones KC, chairman of CLC’s Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood and Queen’s Park Committee, said: “Previously, the cafes were operating on short-term arrangements that made it difficult to invest in their buildings and facilities. Moving to longer-term leases under Daisy Green allows that community investment to happen and secures the cafes’ future.”
Prue Freeman, co-founder of Daisy Green, has said: “Daisy Green is a female-led, family-run, independent business based in Marylebone which started from a single Bedford ice cream van in 2012. Fourteen years later, we have 18 sites across central London, ranging from small cafes to canal boats to Holland Park cafe. We are not a chain, but a small business which we set up to serve communities across London.”
She also said: “All jobs are safe and valued and we look forward to welcoming many more local employees in the future.”
