A popular Hampstead Heath café recently taken over by a new operator is to open in two to three weeks once a refurbishment of the site is complete.
Parliament Hill Café, which is to be run by Aussie-inspired operator Daisy Green following a controversial retendering exercise, was hoped to be ready and serving customers by this spring. It is understood delays to paperwork being signed may have contributed to the hold-up, though this has not been confirmed by either the City of London Corporation or Daisy Green.
Parliament Hill Café was one of five north London sites put up for tender by the City of London Corporation last year. The Corporation runs a number of green spaces including Hampstead Heath and Highgate Wood as a registered charity.
Its plans to remarket the cafés came under severe criticism, with thousands of customers urging the Corporation to retain the existing independent operators.
The Corporation said the process would help “ensure a high-quality visitor experience, offering welcoming community spaces that continue to meet the needs of local people”.
Despite the public backlash four of the cafés were handed to Daisy Green, which runs premises across London including in Kensington and at the National Portrait Gallery.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) revealed how Daisy Green had previously worked with the consultants appointed to oversee the retendering, Davis Coffer Lyons (DCL).
A spokesperson for the City of London Corporation said at the time that DCL was not involved in any decision regarding the outcome of the retendering and that its previous engagements with Daisy Green do not constitute a conflict of interest.
Hoxton Beach, which runs the Lido, Queen’s Park and Highgate Wood cafés, is fighting its removal, though the D’Auria family agreed to vacate the Parliament Hill site earlier this year.
Little progress had been made at the café since then, though when the LDRS visited on Friday last week some fencing was up and several men were working on the refurbishment.
The LDRS understands the café’s late reopening, which means it has missed out on the recent Bank Holiday and warm weather, is due to delays to paperwork being signed.
The Corporation clarified the café is expected to open in mid-June. Daisy Green did not respond to requests for comment.
A food and drinks truck has been based next to the café serving customers while the site is being refurbished.
Prue Freeman, who started Daisy Green with her husband Tom Onions in 2012, previously said the company looks forward “to creating wonderful spaces for all; serving delicious, locally sourced food and a relaxed, friendly atmosphere”.
