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Cllr James Kempton |
Traders hire top lawyers in last-ditch bid to stop Camden Passage evictions
AN appeal to a government minister was made this week in a last ditch battle to save up to 40 antique dealers being evicted from The Mall, the ornate shopping emporium in Camden Passage.
At the same time, traders were clubbing together to hire top lawyers to fight the decision.
Leader of Islington council, Lib Dem Councillor James Kempton, called on Hazel Blears MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, to intervene to save the boroughfs threatened tourist attraction.
Planners at Islington council were also gearing up for a protracted legal battle amid reports that a planning application had been submitted by the company who own the Grade 11 listed former tram shed – regarded as Camden Passage’s “jewel in the crown” – for permission to remove internal partitions.
Local Labour Councillor Martin Klute held a meeting with the traders on Wednesday night, when it was agreed to hire a lawyer.
“The traders were fairly despondent,” he said. “They feel they have been bullied by their landlords, whose motives are far from clear.”
The meeting heard that although the traders have been given six months notice, some are being asked by London Associated Properties (LAP) to sign a new month-by-month lease for their premises.
“It was agreed that nothing would be signed until legal advice had been obtained,” he added.
Cllr Klute, who works for an architectural practice, said that his message to the traders is sit tight and occupy the premises for as long as possible.
He added: “There is a provision in the Landlords and Tenant Act in which the landlord has to prove why he needs the premises. If you disagree you can apply to the county court.
“At the very least you are allowed to stay in occupation until you get a decision, which can take up to two years.”
Cllr Klute said one of the problems is that in his experience Islington is regarded as a “developer’s paradise”. The ruling Lib Dems argue that only a change in the law can halt the loss of independent shops by commercial developers.
Meanwhile, more information emerged about LAP, the retail property developers that purchased the freehold to The Mall last year.
They have so far refused to comment on the evictions or state what they want to do with the building, although rumours suggest they want to offer it to a high street chain.
The development company is run by father and son Michael and John Heller, whose family own 56 per cent of the shares and have a retail property portfolio worth £249 million, mainly in prime sites in the South-east .
Council leader Cllr James Kempton has vowed to block any proposed changes to the listed building and called on LAP to halt the evictions.
He added: “Our powers to help are limited but I don’t want to be presented with a planning application in a year to change The Mall when the antiques trade, that we would want to protect, has already been driven out of the area.
“The Mall is a landmark building, and at the heart of the antiques
trade in Islington. I am calling on the Secretary of State to meet with me as a matter of urgency.” |
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