Upset as cafes handed to coffee chain Daisy Green

"Landowner, City of London Corporation (CLC) has chosen Daisy Green to run cafes at Queen's Park, Golders Hill Park, Parliament Hill Lido and Parliament Hill Fields from spring 2026, after putting these leases out to tender. Emma Fernandez, who co-runs three of the sites, said the CLC was "destroying this fabric which is holding together the community". The corporation said Daisy Green, would bring new investment to the sites, and said its remarketing exercise was carried out in an "open, inclusive, widely publicised" way."

"All current operators were told on Friday they would have to give up their cafes by 31 January. The CLC added that all the current operators had been "trading under tenancies at will, which are unsustainable short-term arrangements". Kentish Town couple Patrick Matthews and Emma Fernandez run the cafes at Parliament Hill Lido, Queen's Park, and Highgate Wood. Parliament Hill Lido Cafe's customers include actors Benedict Cumberbatch and James McAvoy, who have supported the cafe for 10 years."

"Ms Fernandez, 49, said she was "devastated" by the news. "We created a real community hub. The City of London Corporation are just destroying this fabric which is holding together the community," she said. "We're not here trying to make money. We're here because we love it and we work with our hearts." PA Media The couple are concerned the takeover will put jobs at risk. Their three cafes employ about 50 members of staff during the summer and 30 over the winter."

The City of London Corporation selected Daisy Green to operate four previously independent cafes from spring 2026 after a tender process. Current operators were informed they must vacate by 31 January. The corporation described the remarketing as open and said existing operators had been on tenancies at will. Operators who run multiple sites say the cafes function as community hubs and fear job losses; the three sites employ about 50 staff in summer and 30 in winter. Regular customers and locals emphasize the cafes serve a diverse community and warn the change risks undermining local social fabric.

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