The Laundromet Café that was to open in Laugardalur has sung its last after a long struggle with neighbouring residents.
MBL reports that the property within which the café was to be built has been put up for sale. This brings to an end an conflict that has lasted months.
Jóhann Friðrik Haraldsson, who owns the Laundromat Café in Iceland, told reporters that he had made many attempts to meet the neighbours of the property halfway. For example, when they objected to the proposed opening hours of 8:00 AM to 11:00 PM, he changed the operating hours to 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM. However, residents then objected to living next door to any kind of kitchen, regardless of what kind of ventilation system it used.
Some 20 million ISK was put into renovations and development of the property, which is now sunk in the project. Jóhann says he blames himself for having gone forward with the renovations without a permit to do so, saying, “This was all done in good faith. We bought property right next to two restaurants.”
As the property is now on the market, the matter is closed. This does not, however, necessarily mean that Laundromat Café is permanently shut out of the neighbourhood.
“Other real estate owners in the neighbourhood have gotten in touch and gave us an offer to open with them, but we haven’t made any decisions yet,” Jóhann told reporters. “We need first to get a result in this matter, and free up capital.”
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