30/07/2021
Hello Friends, We’ve missed you.
2021 is supposed to be the year of al fresco dining and drinking in London..and we all know why right?
And so It was so nice to be back with Last Days Of Shoreditch.
How many times have you heard the government encouraging operators to look for outside spaces and help the pandemic situation by bringing the hospitality outside?
Probably every day for the last year.
Have you noticed the campaign? Great initiative from our local government and Council right?
Hackney Council are even giving £5000 per project to support the reopening of the hospitality and creative sector including outdoor pop-ups.
It was a no-brainer then for us to apply for 150 seated pop-up restaurant with NO music, in a vacant secluded churchyard in the middle of Shoreditch. Our aim was to concentrate on food made by Hackney-based local operators, great food and surround the site with culture.
We have always had Shoreditch in our hearts.
And yet You’d think that our local Councillors would want this to happen, that they would give us the green light considering that in the 7 years that we operated in Shoreditch and how we made it the destination of choice for all Londoners and contributed not only in generating jobs but helped launch many a Hackney-based startup.
With the soft launch planned for this evening, everything was on track (aside from the weather).
Unfortunately, this was not to be the case.
We just received the abrupt news from Hackney Council today that we have been issued with a counter-notice to our licensable activities. Essentially we’ve been shut down.
We are so sorry, but we won’t see you tonight. It is with the deepest sadness that we will have to call this project off and start calculating financial damages.
We will be back, but we can’t confirm right now.
Your councillors decided for the few, not for the many.
They have decided against the UK government guidance and they have decided against the local government initiative.
We have been told that our project will only contribute to the existing misery in the area. This is on record, the video is available on the Hackney Council Youtube channel. We’re struggling to make this make sense because it just doesn’t. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tcdd_TQNGM8
We love Hackney, we love Shoreditch. It’s one of the best neighbourhoods in the world. We are Shoreditch. We are Last Days Of Shoreditch. This won’t be the last you hear from us!
Please contact your local councillors and ask them how they voted.
Mayor of Hackney: - Gilbert Smyth: - Emma Plouviez:
Michael Kills CEO: - Amy Lame: -
Mayor of London Culture Team City Hall: – MegHillierMP:
