An independent café at Oval station is facing closure after TfL reportedly declined to renew its lease, writes Joe Rattue…
Old Roots Café – a community staple for 20 years – may be forced to close in the next 18 months when the current lease is set to expire.
The owner Metin Balci had finished expensive refurbishments in February and told the Southwark News that he believes TfL intends to combine his unit with the neighbouring one to replace them both with a chain and hike the rent.
Balci said: “In their minds, they think this is some prime location.
“Every other month, there are strikes. Every time there are strikes our business goes down.”
The Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) has planned tube strikes from Tuesday 21 April to Friday 24 April.
His family, originally Turkish, have run the café for 20 years and took it over from an Italian family who had owned it for 40 years.
A spokesperson for TfL’s property company said: “We are currently looking at how we can invest in our units at Oval Tube station and have been in early discussions with the existing tenants, however, no decision has been made on any lease renewals and we remain in discussions.
“The many small businesses across our estate are a much-loved part of London’s economy, making a massive difference to the customers and communities they serve across our city every day.
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“We greatly value the variety and colour that small and medium businesses add to our estate and we are dedicated to helping them take steps to flourish with our support. We are also happy to meet with business owners to discuss concerns or issues with leases or rents and look to support them in any way that we can.”
The news comes after Brixton News – a newsstand open for 35 years – was shut in February when TfL doubled rent to merge it with the neighbouring unit at Brixton station.
