Gordon Ramsay firm secures court order to retake pub from squatters

A Gordon Ramsay company has secured a High Court order for the possession of a London pub occupied by squatters.

A group of people locked themselves inside the Grade II-listed York & Albany near Regent's Park last week.

They set up the since-closed Camden Art Cafe, pledging to serve free food to the local community.

On Wednesday, lawyers for Gordon Ramsay Holdings International Limited (GRHI) asked a judge for an order to retake the property.

Judge Simon Brown granted the order at a short hearing in London.

It is understood from court staff that the order paves the way for High Court enforcement officers to retake the occupied pub in the coming days.

The former gastropub and hotel building is up for sale for £13m.

Timothy Foot, representing GRHI - which counts Mr Ramsay as one of its directors - told the court that squatters had been served legal papers both via email and in physical form.

None of the people from the group attended the hearing and they were not represented by a lawyer.

Mr Foot said that GRHI "remains the leaseholder of the property, notwithstanding that it has ceased trading at the premises".

He continued: "The claimant says it has immediate right to possession. It says that the persons unknown who have entered the land have done so without its consent and... it is therefore requesting an order for possession.

"Had the claimant not brought and served proceedings then a so-called community cafe which was operated would have continued to operate."

Mr Foot said that this "poses a risk of public disturbance", adding that the cafe had now "ceased" but "some squatters remain at the property".

The group that occupied the pub, which calls itself the Camden art collective, posted on Instagram on Wednesday to say they were leaving the premises after being served with legal papers.

It added: "We wish those left in the building the best of luck in their endeavours."

It remains unclear how many people, if any, are still in the building.

The Met Police said it had been called but it was a "civil matter".

In 2007, film director Gary Love bought the freehold of the 19th Century coaching inn.

He subsequently leased the property to Mr Ramsay on a 25-year term with an annual rent of £640,000.

The Kitchen Nightmares star unsuccessfully attempted to free himself from the lease in a legal battle at the High Court in 2015.

The property went on sale at the end of last year.

According to a Companies House document, GRHI is the holding company that offers management and operational support to the restaurants within the Gordon Ramsay Restaurants Limited group.

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