The Escapement venue in Broadstairs will shut on September 30 after a lease extension was not agreed.
The award-winning escape room was launched in 2022 by Lewis Hunt and partner Mica Dougan who have run the successful Escapement in Cliftonville since 2017.
The pair had secured the lease for the Retort House site, owned by Broadstairs & St Peter’s Town Council, in 2019 but were then faced with opening date hurdles, including the discovery of bomb shelters and power issues.
The venue houses escape challenges Atlantis, Operation Quartz, and Captcha Code which is a hybrid treasure hunt and escape room exploring Broadstairs.
The Atlantis room features an array of special effects rarely seen in an escape room setting; lighting shows, hydraulics and pneumatics.
Upstairs visitors can find The Quartz and enter into a World War Two meets Hydra/Marvel/Terminator/Toy Soldiers world.
But the site will be closed after a decision by the town council not to extend the lease.
Escapement Broadstairs owner Mica says she is ‘heartbroken’ at being evicted from the Broadstairs premises and feels ‘betrayed.’
Broadstairs & St Peter’s Town Council has responded to say there had been contract breaches and the “tenant no longer presents a credible asset to the taxpayer.”
Mica said: “I am deeply saddened to announce that The Escapement Broadstairs has been given just three months to vacate our premises by Broadstairs and St. Peters Town Council, our landlord. “This decision comes despite repeated promises that our lease would be extended—a commitment I have in writing.
“Since we took on the lease, we’ve faced numerous challenges that were entirely beyond our control. For over three years, we couldn’t open our doors due to ongoing power issues in the building—issues that were not our fault. During this time, we were given five separate dates by the council for when power would be fixed and we could begin trading, but four of those dates turned out to be inaccurate, making planning, recruitment, and project management incredibly difficult.
“We were repeatedly assured that our lease would be extended to make up for this lost time, which gave us the confidence to continue investing in the property and not to exercise our break clause. We poured hundreds of thousands of pounds into this project, believing in the council’s word.
“When we were finally able to start trading, I was told that compensation would be considered for the time we had lost, but when I enquired further, the conversation stopped, and communication dwindled to almost nothing.
“After a new town clerk was appointed, all discussions about extending our lease disappeared, and instead, we were faced with countless bureaucratic hoops to jump through—always with the vague idea of a possible lease extension. We were told to comply in “the hope of” or “chance of” a lease extension but never with any guarantee.
“This decision to evict us feels like a complete betrayal of the trust we placed in the town council. We have worked hard to build The Escapement into something special. We are currently ranked as the number one attraction on TripAdvisor in Broadstairs and have received international recognition for our immersive experiences. We have brought thousands of visitors to this town.
“I believe this is not only a loss for us but for the whole of Broadstairs. Our escape rooms have put Broadstairs on the map as a destination for fun, family-friendly entertainment, and it is disheartening to think that we are being pushed out after all we have contributed to the community.
“The Escapement Broadstairs will have to close in just four weeks, and I cannot express enough how heartbroken I am by this decision. It feels like we are being forced out, despite all the promises and assurances we received.”
Equipment for the Atlantis, Operation Quartz and Captcha Code games will moving to a new home in the USA later in the year.
The Escapement in Cliftonville is not affected and will continue to be open to customers.
‘Contract breaches’
The site is owned by Broadstairs and St Peter’s Town Council. The venue, within Albion Street car park, was purchased by the town council alongside Pierremont Hall in 2018.
The property underwent a full restoration to create facilities for both community and commercial use.
Broadstairs & St Peter’s Town Council claims the non-renewal of the lease is the result of a number of contract breaches.
A Broadstairs & St Peter’s Town Council spokesperson said: “The Escapement took up a tenancy at Retort House in November 2018. The Town Council was keen to support this new local business as it established itself and therefore offered a rent-free period which extended throughout and beyond the pandemic.
“In addition, electricity payments were not collected until December 2021. Once the business was up and running, the Town Council requested payment as it does any of its other tenants.
“The tenant’s lease is due to expire in November 2024. Due to a number of serious breaches of contract, BSPTC has decided it can no longer support the tenancy and has agreed not to renew the lease when it expires.
“We are disappointed that our tenant has chosen to go public with this commercially sensitive information. Our main priority has to be protecting the interests of the local taxpayer and unfortunately, this tenant no longer presents a credible asset to the taxpayer. The decision has therefore been made that the lease will not be renewed.”
The couple dispute the council’s statement, saying they have never been notified of any contract breaches and all bills and rent were paid in full despite concerns over amounts charged, They added they would not risk their huge investment in the site over such payments.
There’s still time to book Escapement Broadstairs at: https://shorturl.at/JcDIg
