This is The Guardian.

Today, the billionaire Londoners who bought an entire town centre in the north of England

and left it to rot.

It's a horrible day. What are we doing here, Josh? Where are we?

We are in the heart of London's bustling West End, I suppose, you might say. We are on Shasbury Avenue, which is theatre district, theatre land. There's families going about, touristy families with union jack umbrellas and rain ponchos.

It's a pretty miserable day.

I've arranged to meet Josh Halliday, the Guardian's North of England editor, outside an anonymous

office block near the theatre that's showing Harry Potter and the Curse Child.

I was imagining something a little bit grander than this? You're so as I. I was slightly underwhelmed. I mean, it's a kind of really tired 60s frontage. It looks really nondescript, and maybe that's the idea. You wouldn't think this is one of the wealthiest property firms in the UK. No chance. For months, Josh has been trying to get answers out of the mysterious brothers whose billionaire

property company is headquartered here.

Their property portfolio is massive. It spans London, New York and Boston, but Josh is

interested in one investment in particular. Now, it's not the most valuable, not by a long

stretch, but it is perhaps the biggest and most

consequential, an entire town centre 300 miles away in the north of England. Josh has called,

he's emailed, but they've declined to answer any of his questions. And that's why we've

come here on a rainy February day to try a more direct approach.

Hi, thank you.

Hiya.

We're journalists from the gardening newspaper.

We were wondering if Benzion Freshwater would be available for an interview with us.

We're doing a big piece of work on a place called Newton Acliffe.

The town centre is entirely owned by Mr Freshwater. Right.

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