Yehia el-Nemer outside his café

A CAFÉ owner is fighting to keep his business open for one last season after 22 years of trading in Islington.

Yehia el-Nemer, who runs an al fresco café in the north-east corner of Highbury Fields, wants Islington Council to delay the forced closure of his business until after the summer months.

As the Tribune reported in December, the council’s plans to demolish and redevelop Mr el-Nemer’s cafe, Oasis in the Park, have left him in limbo since they were first proposed in 2018.

Mr el-Nemer has been told to close for good by June 1, despite the fact that building works are not scheduled to begin until September at the earliest, according to the council’s website.

Mr el-Nemer said that it wasn’t the right time to close the café. “Summertime is busy for us. The grass is dry and all the toys are on the green, the tables and chairs are out, people play tennis and host birthdays and mothers come and enjoy themselves. It’s a really nice atmosphere. It is the best time for the community and for myself.”

Supported by three loyal customers, Mr el-Nemer submitted a petition of 832 signatures to the council in December, asking to keep his café open. The council delayed the closing date from January to June, but with the weather only just starting to pick up, Mr el-Nemer will still miss out on the busiest time of year.

Pauline Cartwright is a customer helping Mr el-Nemer save Oasis in the Park. She said: “As customers, we want full acknowledgement of Yehia’s 22 years of dedicated service to this community.

“I don’t think the council has treated Yehia with much respect or kindness. We want to stand up for him and let him know that he’s not alone and that we appreciate him and how amazing this café is.

“It’s completely unique. There are generations that have grown up with him. Everybody loves him. It makes me feel really tearful. To close during the summer makes no sense.”

Ms Cartwright highlighted that Mr el-Nemer contributes to the community above and beyond his work at the café. He also sourced and maintains the children’s toys in the green opposite the Oasis and sets up long tables and balloons for customer birthday parties.

The uncertainty of the plans has put a strain on Mr el-Nemer and his business in recent years. He said: “Every year it’s a different story – new projects, new consultations. They say: ‘we’re going to do this. No, we’re going to do this’. It is always changing. How can you run a business like that?”

A new café will eventually be built to replace Oasis in the Park and Mr el-Nemer has applied to run it, but the council cannot say whether he will win that contract. The decision is scheduled for April 30.

Another customer, Alison Shipman, said: “I think it’s really bad that [Mr el-Nemer] has to reapply for the licence to run the café, especially someone of his experience who has been here for donkey’s years. ”

A spokesperson from Islington Council said: “The Oasis café is a much-loved part of Highbury Fields, but the current café building is not fit for purpose and its condition is deteriorating.

“The cafe needs to close at the start of June for essential preliminary work to remove asbestos materials, so demolition can take place later in the year.

“Highbury Fields badly needs new facilities including accessible toilets, which the park does not currently have. The contract for the new, permanent café is currently out for tender. The results of this process will be announced in the summer.”