diff --git a/new/commons/fetch.js b/new/commons/fetch.js
index 01cc8ed9..d5152abe 100644
--- a/new/commons/fetch.js
+++ b/new/commons/fetch.js
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { getCookie, setCookie } from './local-storage';
+import { getCookie, setCookie, removeCookie } from './local-storage';
 import { ENV } from '../../env';
 
 let spinnerCount = 0;
@@ -42,12 +42,18 @@ export const egeriaFetch = (url, headers) => {
   )
   .then((response) => {
     if(response.status === 403 && !['/login'].includes(window.location.pathname)) {
+      removeCookie('token');
       setCookie('token', '');
 
-      window.location.href='/login';
+      window.location.href = '/login';
     }
 
-    return response.json();
+    return response.text();
+  })
+  .then(data => {
+    // adding this temporarily because /logout retrieves no content and
+    // response.json() fails to parse empty content as JSON
+    return data ? JSON.parse(data) : {};
   })
   .finally(() => {
     spinner(false);
diff --git a/new/commons/local-storage.js b/new/commons/local-storage.js
index fc572af5..bbde1b2b 100644
--- a/new/commons/local-storage.js
+++ b/new/commons/local-storage.js
@@ -4,4 +4,8 @@ export const setCookie = (name, value) => {
 
 export const getCookie = (name) => {
   return window.localStorage.getItem(name);
+};
+
+export const removeCookie = (name) => {
+  localStorage.removeItem(name);
 };
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/new/egeria-app.container.js b/new/egeria-app.container.js
index 32c636ea..65034f9c 100644
--- a/new/egeria-app.container.js
+++ b/new/egeria-app.container.js
@@ -29,28 +29,9 @@ import { getCookie } from './commons/local-storage';
 import { egeriaFetch } from './commons/fetch';
 
 class EgeriaApp extends PolymerElement {
-  static get properties() {
-    return {
-      components: { type: Array, value: [] },
-      currentUser: { type: Object, value: {} },
-      appInfo: { type: Object, value: {} },
-      roles: { type: Array, value: [] },
-
-      isLoading: { type: Boolean, value: true },
-      isLoggedIn: { type: Boolean, value: false },
-
-      queryParams: {},
-      routeData: {},
-      tail: {},
-
-      route: { type: Object },
-      pages: { type: Array, value: [''], observer: '_pagesChanged' },
-      page: { type: String, value: '' }
-    };
-  }
+  constructor() {
+    super();
 
-  ready() {
-    super.ready();
     this.isLoading = true;
 
     Promise.all([
@@ -72,6 +53,26 @@ class EgeriaApp extends PolymerElement {
     });
   }
 
+  static get properties() {
+    return {
+      components: { type: Array, value: [] },
+      currentUser: { type: Object, value: {} },
+      appInfo: { type: Object, value: {} },
+      roles: { type: Array, value: [] },
+
+      isLoading: { type: Boolean, value: true },
+      isLoggedIn: { type: Boolean, value: false },
+
+      queryParams: {},
+      routeData: {},
+      tail: {},
+
+      route: { type: Object },
+      pages: { type: Array, value: [''], observer: '_pagesChanged' },
+      page: { type: String, value: '' }
+    };
+  }
+
   static get observers() {
     return [
       '_routeCycle(route, components, currentUser)'
@@ -147,7 +148,7 @@ class EgeriaApp extends PolymerElement {
             if(this.canAccess(route, components)) {
               this.pages = route.split('/');
             } else {
-              this.pages = ['forbidden'];
+              this.pages = !getCookie('token') ? ['empty'] : ['forbidden'];
             }
           }
           break;
diff --git a/new/egeria-user-options.component.js b/new/egeria-user-options.component.js
index 27e944be..01675777 100644
--- a/new/egeria-user-options.component.js
+++ b/new/egeria-user-options.component.js
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ import '@vaadin/vaadin-grid/vaadin-grid-sort-column.js';
 
 import { PolymerElement, html } from '@polymer/polymer/polymer-element.js';
 
-import { setCookie } from '../new/commons/local-storage';
+import { setCookie, removeCookie } from '../new/commons/local-storage';
 import { egeriaFetch } from './commons/fetch';
 
 class EgeriaUserOptions extends PolymerElement {
@@ -29,7 +29,8 @@ class EgeriaUserOptions extends PolymerElement {
   _logout() {
     egeriaFetch(`/api/logout`)
       .then(() => {
-        setCookie('token', null);
+        removeCookie('token');
+        setCookie('token', '');
       });
   }