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Harrods café? Not in our back yard, say wealthy neighbours
Robert Mendick, Chief Reporter13.08.08
Millionaire residents of Knightsbridge are threatening legal action against Harrods, claiming its new outdoor café has made their neighbourhood resemble "downtown Kuwait".
Protesters including bankers, aristocrats and international businessmen gathered outside the department store to demonstrate their anger over the opening of Ladurée cafe at its rear three weeks ago.
They claim it has led to traffic gridlock and noise as well as helping to attract prostitutes, drug dealers and beggars to the area.
The pavement outside the café has been widened by several feet to accommodate customers paying £15 for a club sandwich - but in the process it has narrowed the road, causing mayhem, say the objectors.
Farih Tabbah, a Jordanian businessmen who is orchestrating the protest, said he would meet lawyers this week in a bid to overturn planning permission for the café, which was granted by Kensington and Chelsea council. He plans to seek a judicial review in the hope of having Ladurée shut down.
Mr Tabbah, 56, who lives in a £5 million house in Walton Place, opposite the café, said: "It's worse than Piccadilly Circus - it's more like downtown Kuwait. They have taken away part of the road and all they have done is increase the traffic. The result is the biggest gridlock in central London. The traffic is at a standstill from 5pm. I cannot even sit in my own garden because of the noise."
In two hours outside the café the Evening Standard witnessed near-permanent gridlock, with cars parked illegally on street corners, and a constant queue for tables at Ladurée. Many of the high-performance cars going past had numberplates from Kuwait, Qatar and United Arab Emirates.
Faisal Naif, 23, from Qatar, a passenger in a Lamborghini which went by at least four times, said: "What can I say? I cannot make the engine quieter."
Martin Diggle, 46, a fund manager who lives opposite Mr Tabbah, said: "It is blighting the area. My children get woken up at night by the noise. I have even seen fistfights caused by road rage. It is an absolute farce."
Actress Helen Forbes-Watt, 52, whose husband was a chief economist at the UN, said: "The noise is driving us mad. It's like living in the middle of Brands Hatch. It starts at 5pm and goes on until 11pm. I rang Harrods and they told me they have 28 restaurants inside the building."
A petition circulated by Mr Tabbah claims the cafés in the area are attracting "street buskers... beggars and drunkards... prostitutes and drug dealers" and even "salesmen selling pornographic materials and other illegal merchandise".
The café, at the corner of Hans Road and Basil Street, was given permission to run for five years to have 25 tables and 100 chairs, and to have the pavement widened. It is a branch of a famous Paris chain. The manager, who refused to give his name, said: "You should talk to Harrods. We are just operating the concession for them. But we are really sorry for the noise it is causing in the neighbourhood."
Harrods' owner Mohamed Fayed spoke with Mr Tabbah yesterday to say the store was doing all it could to minimise noise and other disruption. A Harrods spokeswoman said: "Mr Fayed always likes to reassure residents personally where appropriate and will contact them personally. Our managing director has also spoken to Mr Tabbah and sought to reassure him we take his concerns seriously. Obviously this is a new venture and we are always open to discussion about how to manage it effectively. But we have planning permission to extend the pavement and this is a very busy time for Harrods. Many of our Middle Eastern customers choose to come at this time of year."
She denied the café had encouraged prostitution or drug dealing.
Reader views (22)
Here's a sample of the latest views published.
I think Mr. Fayed should buy Mr. Tabbah's property and extend the cafe into the gardens, for crying out loud, you want quiet? live in the surbubs, Surrey or somewhere like that, not in the middle of the city and expect quietness.
- Abdul Wahid, Dubai, UAE
The residents of the neighbourhood have all the right to protest against anything they don't like(including that cafe)without being prejudiced.Pointing fingers on the Nationalities of cafe's visitors will only shift the case from neighbourhood disturbance to Racism against wealthy visitors(Arabs in particular).
I think the wealthy residence in the neighbourhood made this protest only to get the attention of wealthy cafe visitors(Arabs in particular including Mr.Al-fayed)to BUY their property since higher taxes were imposed and the real estate mortgage crisis is reaching Downtown London.
- Yaqoub Anwar Al-Khabbaz, Kuwait city,Kuwait
I'm sure the residents bought their respective properties knowing that they're on the border of a commercial area so they can't expect the quietness that they are suddenly demanding.
I'm sure this Palestinian guy has been to "downtown Kuwait" since it widely known to be crowded by expatriates. So I guess that means that the middle easterners he's complaining about could be his relatives.
- Wadha, Kuwait
Coming from someone who knows you so well, if the noise and traffic bother you so much, why don't you take a break from the city and relax in your other multi-million pound house?
One day you'll realize the world does not revolve around you.
- Taj Tabbah, London
Why don't this neighbourhood say anything about cafe rouge! It usually causes a similar mayhem around this time every year, the problem may have worsened; prostitutes, pushers and beggars were there before la duree was opened. The question remains 'why don't they sue cafe rouge as well?' I think many of us would agree that the owner of cafe rouge is not alfayed after all.
- Basma, london
Dear Mr. Tabbah... I'm so happy for you that you've been in Kuwait and the downtown in particular, haven't you?!
I really can't understand "yet" what makes you so spiteful, but I really feel sorry for you of not mentioning other GCC's countries in your campaign!
I wish you a good luck and thank you, because as it said in an old quote: "Only fruitful trees are used to be thrown by stones"
- Bashayer, Downtown, Kuwait
I totally disagree with the naming the crowded area as a 'Kuwait Downtown'. I was there this summer and have only seen Qatar and UAE citizens. In additions sporting their environment unfriendly cars which cause total chaos in the road.
On the other hand I agree with the mess it's causing and these people should be more aware of the neighbourhood and people living there.
- Noura, Kuwait
How do these people know about the existence of prostitutes and pornographic materials? ... I wonder....
- Me7sin, Your hearts, deep inside
Downtown Kuwait is way over the descriptions in this article yes I agree about the traffic in the day time because we have some of the biggest banks, investment companies and stock exchange in the area but after 6 o’clock the place is so quite and nice. According to Mr. Tabbah he said that most of the plates where from Kuwait I was there in summer 2007 and I can remember 2 Kuwaiti plates and they are well behaved people and if he have any complains he can write down the plate number and take it to the Kuwaiti embassy rather than making big unnecessary story about my country we are well educated well behaved and such acts are so prohibited in my country
- Abdulaziz Al-Hardan, Kuwait
It is unacceptable that Harrods should be allowed to transform a conservation area in this way .
As a local resident, I am most irritated by the racket of Lamborginis and other such cars, their owners attracted by this pavement cafe which is totally out of character with the neighbourbood. Surely the local residents should have been consulted?
- Jonathan Hope, London UK
It is unbelievable that the council has allowed this fiasco to happen. What was already a busy area is now chaotic and there has to be a real safety risk with emergency vehicles not able to travel along what is now a very narrow road. A mistake has been made and the road should be widened again as soon as possible before a serious accident happens.
- Bethany Williams, London, UK.
Having the Cafe on the corner has become such a pain. The extension of the pavement as well as Harrod's clientele ridiculous cars taking over the roads, make the street a hazard by being hard to cross. Ladurée has attracted a high number of beggars and by being unable to avoid walking past, commuters cannot walk home without being harassed several times and followed. Walking home alone in the evenings has become out of the question as its too scary. It’s such a shame that a nice neighbourhood, where my family have happily lived 30 plus years, has been ruined, for the sake of tourist’s being able to watch passers by admire their cars.
- Yasmin Khan, London, UK.
I would like to clarify to the readers that the cafe is always busy with GCC customers during the summer. In addition, most of the high performance vehicles are shipped from Qatar and Emirates, not Kuwait.
Besides, downtown Kuwait in Kuwait City is not located in a residential area. I agree with Claudette point that the Council should introduce a strict vehicle access policy for residents only.
- Donya, Bahrain
They have got time to spend. It is good to be rich to spending time to complain.
This terrace is one of the best in London. Next time we will go outside of the city to make sure nobody will be disturbing.
Well done people.
I wish all the best to Laduree terrace.
- Vanya, London SW1
I do not understand why Mr. Tabbah imposed the name of Kuwait and downtown Kuwait into this campaign?! Why not downtown Amman or Zerqa in Jordon? For the readers info I would like to clarify that "downtown Kuwait" is very beautiful quite area with no air pollution.
- Hadeel, Kuwait
Outdoor cafes for 100 are not a feature of residential neighbourhoods. Nor are parking lots for cars with unreadable foreign number plates. Good on the community for protesting this unsafe and disruptive nuisance. Perhaps the council could restrict vehicular access to residents only. Or are our visitors too rich to walk?
- Claudette Sands, London
A typical example of the corruption in local planning.
Throughout the city cafe and restaurants are forbidden to use the often enormous pavements and suddenly
Harrods/ Ladurée manage to get permission AND enlarge the pavement!
Quelle surprise.
Needs an ES investigation
- Michael Scott, london
I would say that anyone who buys or rents a property in central London should know its always busy dirty & noisy. If you don't like it move out of London to a nice place in the country I would If I had the chance and money.
- Paul, London England
Last time I checked if you own it you can do it these moaning bigots should go elsewhere, its your freedom of choice in a democracy.
- Betrice, Brighton
Its a shame that these residents didn't protest at the planning stage. How can you over-turn planning permission that has been granted.
Hope they can't do the same with home extensions!?
Having said that - noise is a blight and something that is negatively impacting the local residents. Good luck with getting the cafe closed (£15 for a club sandwich is a scandal)
- Mat, not-London
Prostitutes near Harrods? So what's new?
- Joseph, London
I notice there are a lot of foreigners protesting about the Harrods outdoor cafe. But hold on: Outdoor cafes are a feature of many foreign capitals. So why not London? What's sauce for the goose etc.
- Alex, London
