A hearing date for the possession proceeding being brought against Will Pouget and the operating company of the Vaults & Garden cafe has been fixed for 14th November next in Oxford County Court.
The church council is claiming that the defendants are occupying the cafe as trespassers and seek damages for their failure to hand over the keys at the expiry of three months' notice.
The church council’s claim is being led by Kenneth MacRitchie, a retired solicitor, who lives in North Oxford. He is a director of a number of companies, including St Edward’s school.
In a witness statement attached to the court documents, Mr MacRitchie states that he has been co-opted as a member of the church council. In his statement, Mr MacRitchie confirms that the council entered into a new 20-year lease for the premises from the University in June of last year. He states that Will Pouget was granted a 15-year licence to operate the cafe in November 2003.
Mr MacRitchie adds that the church council terminated this licence with three months’ notice on 26th May 2023 and that their solicitors wrote to Will Pouget and the operator, Fresh Connection Ltd, informing them that they were trespassers and seeking the return of the keys.
Finally, Mr MacRitchie states that by their continued presence the defendants “intend to continue the trespass unless restrained by the court.”
Both Will Pouget and Fresh Connection Ltd intend to vigorously defend the proceeding and have had the advice of leading barristers in both ecclesiastical and civil law.
The documents submitted by Mr MacRitchie run to more than 70 pages and the evidence of Will Pouget and the company will add many more documents to be placed before the judge.
It is expected that the hearing on 14th November will adjourn to a later date for each side to provide more information and legal arguments to the court before a final trial date is fixed.
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team@savethevaults.com