THE manager of one of Camden Town’s longest-running restaurants fears he may have to pack up his business in January after a property developer snapped up its freehold.

Andy’s Taverna, in Bayham Street, has served vine leaves, lamb skewers and grilled octopus for more than 60 years.

But a newly-formed company, funded by a property investment arm of luxury developer Christian Candy, has bought the freehold and plans to build seven flats with a new, bigger restaurant stretching into the basement below.

Managing director Petros Ochtaras fears he will be priced out of the new development and be­lieves he will have to close in January. 

He said: “Everyone who comes here has an attachment to the place. They say: ‘I was married here’ or ‘I had my birthday here’ or ‘I came here when my child was born’. And to think it might all be over in January. 

“Of course, I want to stay, but I’m not sure I will be able to come back when the new building is built. I would hope that I can though and maybe the council can do something when the planning application goes in.”

Mr Ochtaras, from the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece, worked with the Ministry of Defence in Buckinghamshire before taking over from the restaurant’s original owners 10 years ago.

On Tuesday, he was booking in a Christmas party and chatting with regulars after winning a game of backgammon with a colleague.  “I love backgammon,” he said. “But my favourite game is clay pigeon shooting. I am pretty good and I have my own shotgun, which is fully licensed.”

Sea bass arrives every two days from Greece, a feature of Andy’s Taverna, rated online as the “best Greek restaurant” in London. 

It has been a popular haunt with Camden musicians, including Amy Winehouse and Pete Doherty and has a signed photograph of broadcaster Chris Tarrant, a customer, alongside portraits of royalty. 

The developer, Rev1 Ltd, is run by a former advertising man who isstarting out in the property business and who aims to be “proud of living spaces I create”.

Evan Ivey arrived for a brief interview with the New Journal wearing an Islington Socialist pin badge, from his days as a cub reporter on the Islington Gutter Press radical newspaper in the 1980s.

He said: “81 Bayham Street has planning approval for development dating from 2007 and currently this approval includes a restaurant. Whether that is run by Petros is still to be determined and we are in negotiations with him. 

“Things can change, however, and we are discussing finer points such as external appearance with Camden. 

“I started this business with my partners because I believe I can build people beautiful, higher-quality living spaces with dashes of flair and panache that will be a joy to live in.   

“I might be proven to be a naive dreamer, but that vision is the basic idea. I want to be proud of the living spaces I create.”

He added that he had no idea that Christian Candy had a stake in the investment company, Omni Partners, which was financing his first property venture. 

No application has been submitted to Camden Council.