The popular Havelet restaurant burnt down in February 2024, and, since being demolished, has laid bare.
At the time of the fire the site was owned by Deputy Yvonne Burford, who had inherited it from her father, and the restaurant was run by long-term tenants Mickael Pesrin and Delphine Pesrin-Auder.
In the aftermath the Pesrins, who had run Octopus since 2016, assured customers that it would return, albeit after a lengthy closure.
Deputy Burford then sold the site to the Pesrins, as M&D Ltd, for £1 last summer. Neither party has commented on the circumstances that led to the sale.
Yesterday, the Pesrins confirmed that the sale of the site had gone through on Thursday. Nobody has publicly revealed the price but Greffe records show it was sold to a company registered in the British Virgin Islands for £2.555m.
They said in a statement that it was 10 years ago this month since they first saw the vision, concept and opportunity to create their own restaurant on the former Half Moon cafe site.
‘We of course were so sad back in the winter of 2024 when the building was destroyed by a major fire, but we took a deep breath and began the process of thinking and planning our next steps,’ they said.
The initial intention, with the backing of their insurer and insurance broker, was to speedily rebuild the restaurant from the ashes, they said.
‘But over time we came to realise that for us, sadly, rebuilding was just a step too far, and after two years we have found a new owner to take on the wonderful redevelopment opportunity that this iconic site warrants.
‘We wish them well with their plans.’
The 696 sq. m site was put on the market earlier this year and sold by Watts Property Consultants.
‘We’re absolutely delighted with the result and we’re delighted for Mike and Delphine after the difficult experience that they’ve had over the last few years,’ said managing director Joanna Watts.
‘It will be interesting to see what comes next in the chapter of the history of that amazing site.’
Initial discussions with Planning had indicated that there would be the opportunity to create a multi-storey building on the site.
Architectural concept modelling has suggested that the site and its location could accommodate up to four and a half storeys.