The City of London Corporation, which manages the Heath, put the leases of five cafes including Parliament Hill Lido, Queen’s Park, and Highgate Wood out to tender earlier this year.
Campaigners fear the process could swap long-standing independent operators for large chains – and has won vocal support from cafe users including actors Benedict Cumberbatch and James McAvoy, rocker James Righton, and columnist Giles Coren.
Their Save Our Cafes campaign also gathered a 20,000 strong petition and the backing of Hampstead and Highgate MP Tulip Siddiq, who asked the corporation to retain the current tenants.
The list of preferred bidders goes to the Hampstead Heath consultative committee on November 17, with The Hampstead Heath Highgate Wood, and Queen’s Park committee due to make the final decision on December 8.
Campaigners have vowed to fight on if the leases are awarded to new tenants.
Doug Crawford of the Cafes Working Group said: “The awarding of the cafe leases is a watershed moment for the City.
“The tender process has been shrouded in secrecy, the City have systematically refused to engage with the local community and have steadfastly avoided any public scrutiny – despite the numerous statements about their commitment to transparency and public and community engagement!
“A decision to award the leases to the existing operators will go some way towards restoring public trust in the City and provide some reassurance that the views of over 20,000 petition signatories have not been ignored.
“Failure to do so will however only reinforce the view that the City is disinterested in the public it is meant to be serving – in which case we will re-double our campaign efforts! The ball is in the City’s court – we sincerely hope that they come to the right decision!”
MP Ms Siddiq said she was “deeply disappointed” that CoL had stopped engaging with the community and campaigners.
She said: “Last month, I urged the City of London to support the businesses that have served the Heath for generations, and to properly engage with the communities that use the Heath most. I agreed with my constituents; this process was unnecessary, left businesses and the community in the dark, and had failed to listen to local feeling.
“I asked for assurances that there would be further community engagement before the preferred bidders are selected. I am deeply disappointed that this will not happen. I’ve met with the owners and campaigners, and I know how this is affecting them. I will continue to push for transparency and accountability in the governance of the Heath.”
The City of London Corporation has previously said the tendering process will provide “greater clarity and security” for the café operators, supporting their long-term investment and future.
Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood and Queen’s Park committee chair, Sheriff and Alderman, Gregory Jones KC added: “We are focused on securing the best operators to serve the local community and support the aims of our open spaces charities. We deeply appreciate the long-standing contributions of our café operators and they are encouraged to take part in this opportunity.”
