Bewley’s faces another legal fight over lease allegations

DUBLIN’s most famous cafe is facing a legal battle for survival for the second time in two years.

Bewley’s Cafe, which has operated for seven decades on Grafton Street, hasbecome part of the fabric of the capital city’s cultural and political history.

The oriental cafe, famed as a meeting place for poets and writers, shut down for a time in 2004 after the original operators initially pulled out, saying the business was no longer viable. The Irish Government, the city’s council, the State’s heritage body and campaigners all became embroiled in the row over its future.

Its future is now uncertain again due to an impending High Court battle with its landlord Treasury Holdings.

It is understood the prime allegations will be that Bewley’s sub-let part of the business and carried out renovations contrary to the lease.

Entrepreneur Jay Bourke runs two restaurants, Cafe Bar Deli and Mackerel, in the building after a deal struck between him and Bewley’s secured the cafe’s reopening in May 2005.

In a statement today,Bewley’s said that it would aggressively defend itself against allegations that it had broken the terms of the lease.

The latest row follows earlier legal proceedings by Treasury Holdings to prevent Bewley’s carrying out work on the building ahead of its 2005 reopening.

But after a short-lived temporary injunction, the High Court threw out the application, ruling that the renovation would enhance the building and did not need planning permission.

Bewley’s claims it rejected a €6 million offer from the landlord two years ago for the lease.