Squatters in major film studio’s London headquarters thrown out after eight months

Squatters who occupied the former headquarters of film giant 20^th Century Fox in Soho have been thrown out after eight months.

A group of five had holed up in the building which was left empty after Disney bought the company in 2021.

The former offices on the corner of the square were occupied by a group of five who barricaded themselves inside and put a notice on the window warning that the owner would require a court order to get them out.

Bailiffs and police surrounded the building last week and the squatters were marched out after the owners obtained a court order.

The area is home to the UK’s film industry and Hollywood A-listers often film and hold meetings in studio offices.

Big stars like Selma Hayek and Gemma Arterton are among regulars who attend meetings in offices in the square.

The former Fox sixth-storey building had been home to hundreds of staff and was the company’s biggest operation outside the US from 1935.

Kos Baltas, a security guard at a neighbouring building, said that the squatters had ‘given the area a bad look’ as Hollywood A-listers had been arriving at offices to be confronted by the eyesore of a squat.

He told Metro: “It is a bad look. You have A-listers in and out of the square and our building all the time.

‘It doesn’t give a good impression. This is a very exclusive area and having squatters brings it down. There were lot of police here alongside the bailiffs it was a big operation.

‘There is a smashed window in the building and graffiti. We didn’t see the squatters during the day. They were well organised and knew what they were doing.

‘We are glad to see the back of them. It seems renovation work has started now the squatters have gone and it will be good to see it. Personally I think they should have around the clock security.

Films made by 20^th Century Fox towards the end included Die Hard 2 with Bruce Willis and The Exorcist and it was one of the pioneers in the movie industry, making hits from the 1930s.

An office manager who works in the square said: ‘The squatters were very sneaky and clever, they only seemed to be obvious at night.

‘Because the building is so big they managed to find alternative ways out and covered their tracks. The area is full of celebrities and the buildings are worth more than almost anywhere in Britain.’

The owners of the building are planning a redevelopment after an application to demolish it was rejected by Westminster Council.

There has been a spate of high-profile buildings targeted by squatters in the past year.  

They have use laws which protect them from eviction from a vacant commercial property unless the owner obtains a court order.

A group occupied the former San Lorenzo restaurant which was a favourite of the late Princess Diana in Kensington. The Rolling Stones were also regulars at the renowned Italian.

The building, in Beauchamps Place, was taken over in June but the owners obtained a court order and the group left.

Tony Moussa, who owns the Maroush restaurant opposite, said his business had picked up since they had left describing the occupation as a ‘nightmare’.

He told Metro this week: ‘It was a nightmare. They were on the roof smoking weed.

‘That’s what the customers at my best tables upstairs had to look at. It was a nightmare period. Now everything is back to normal and I am happy.’

Gordon Ramsay’s former pub the York and Albany near Regent’s Park was another venue where squatters set up temporary home.

They even opened a café and free food service for locals before they were forced out after the owners gained a court order and forced them out.

Marco Pierre-White’s former steak restaurant in Leicester Square was also occupied by a group who held parties at the venue and triggered a wave of complaints to Westminster Council.

More recently the Dogstar pub in Brixton, which has plunged into administration, has been occupied by a group of squatters.

They have put a legal warning in the window saying they cannot be ordered out unless a court gives the go ahead.

The pub in Coldharbour Lane was one of London’s most renowned venues in the 1990s but in recent years had struggled and had been only opening at weekends to cut costs.

The government made the squatting of residential properties illegal in 2012 but the law did not extend to commercial properties.

Westminster Council has been contacted for comment.

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