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At least six people lock themselves in Grade II-listed York and Albany next to Regent’s Park and post notice
Squatters have taken over a pub in London leased by Gordon Ramsay that is up for sale with a guide price of £13m.
A group of at least six people locked themselves inside the Grade II-listed York and Albany hotel and gastropub, next to Regent’s Park, boarding up the windows and putting up a “legal warning” defending their takeover, the Sun reported.
In photographs taken before the windows were further boarded up, a person could be seen sleeping on a sofa in the bar, surrounded by litter.
On Saturday morning, two masked people wearing black tracksuits and carrying backpacks and carrier bags exited the property, running away from reporters before they could be approached for comment.
A notice taped to a door said the group had a right to occupy the venue, which they said was not a “residential building” and was therefore not subject to 2012 legislation in England and Wales that made squatting in a residential building a criminal offence.
The piece of paper, signed by “the occupiers”, also said: “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.”
Ramsay called the police on Wednesday but was unable to have the people removed, it is understood.
Another notice asked passersby for “food and clothes donations or anything else you no longer want or need”.
The occupation of a person’s non-residential property without their permission is not a crime in England, though police can take action if crimes are subsequently committed, including damaging the property or stealing from it.
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 10 April. This is a civil matter and so police did not attend the property.”
In 2007, the film director Gary Love bought the freehold of the former 19th-century coaching inn.
He subsequently leased the property to Ramsay on a 25-year term with an annual rent of £640,000.
The Kitchen Nightmares host unsuccessfully attempted to free himself from the lease in a legal battle at the high court in 2015.
The venue went on sale at the end of last year with a guide price of £13m.
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 the whole of that time and had not previously been given permission to live there by the owner.
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Good on em.
Or we just use common sense and charge them with trespass.
How about we use common sense and make sure all humans have access to shelter, food, healthcare, and education.
Wow nice!! I didn’t know this was possible in the UK. Although it is weird that this only works for non-residential buildings.
2012 legislation in England and Wales that made squatting in a residential building a criminal offence
[Very sarcasm] Of course, because residential buildings are important to keep clear of anyone trying to live in them! Sitting on them whilst people die in the streets, now that’s just good sense.
Bleh.
Probably because people live there, so it’s more likely to lead to violence.
Squatting in residences that are actually occupied by someone is vanishingly rare. This bit of legislation was just a bit of Tory chest-thumping based on apocryphal tales designed to scare their owner-occupier voting base.
Ideally councils would be much quicker to seize abandoned homes and return them to use, making squatting them unnecessary. But they won’t.
Its because toris and the bosses didn’t like they’re investment being highjacked by the commoners. Next time you walk through town look at a begger and 5star restaurant and study dichotomy between the two. Humanity is sickening.
Good. Don’t leave buildings empty if there are people without homes.
Owch at some of the votes and reactions around here. Welcome to c/CapitalismIsGreatActually I guess 🤷 Gross to see this negative while “Waaah, crime is baaaddd!!” is positive.
I want them to film Ramsay’s reaction so I can learn new rude words.
You fucking donkey
We call that breaking and entering and trespassing. These are crimes.
So what?
Yeah who gave those property owners the right…oh that’s right they exploited our fellow man to get the money but that’s fine we won’t talk about that
The real crime is the property market, UK law recently limiting right to squat in empty buildings and the relationship between the working class and owning class
There’s two options. You do what they did and some people can’t stay in homes. You do what California/New York did and you get people causing massive problems for the people who actually own the homes.
