A legal battle over the lease for Bewley's famous cafe in Dublin's Grafton Street will be heard by the Commercial Court next month.
However, prior to that court hearing on February 13th, the landlord of the premises, Ickendel, and the Campbell Bewley Group Ltd (CBG) are prepared to engage in mediation, Mr Justice Peter Kelly was told yesterday.
Despite the decision to enter mediation, the judge was asked to keep the hearing date and agreed to do so.
The proceedings were before the judge to assess whether the hearing was ready to proceed on February 13th and both sides agreed it was. The case will be heard in the Commercial Court, the commercial division of the High Court, before Mr Justice Frank Clarke.
In the action, Ickendel Ltd, a company jointly owned by developer Johnny Ronan of Treasury Holdings, is seeking forfeiture of the lease of the Grafton Street cafe held by CBG.
In earlier proceedings, Ickendel was refused an injunction restraining the CBG from carrying out certain works on the site. During that hearing, the court was told Ickendel had offered CBG €6 million to relinquish the lease. CBG has an agreement with two restaurateurs, Jay Bourke and Eoin Foyle, to run the Cafe Bar Deli and Mackerel restaurants in the Grafton Street premises.
In the February 13th hearing, Ickendel is seeking orders restraining CBG from assigning, underletting or sharing possession of the premises until it has complied with a lease granted in 1987.