A London landlord has been fined more than £20,000 after repeatedly failing to comply with a planning enforcement notice issued by his local council.
Back in 2004, Ijaz Hussain purchased the property in Dagenham, originally a single-family dwelling. In May 2020, the council’s Planning Enforcement Team discovered that the property had been unlawfully subdivided into two self-contained flats and let out to tenants—without the required planning permission.
Hussain was advised of the breach and invited to either submit a retrospective planning application or restore the property to its original condition. When no action was taken, an Enforcement Notice was served in December 2021, requiring the removal of the second kitchen and internal modifications within six months.
Despite appealing the notice, the Planning Inspectorate dismissed the appeal and upheld the notice in April 2023. A follow-up inspection in January 2024 confirmed that the property remained in breach.
Legal proceedings began in April 2024, and following several delays in the court process, this month Mr Hussain appeared at Romford Magistrates’ Court, where he changed his plea to guilty. He was fined £10,000, ordered to pay a £4,000 victim surcharge, and £6,142 in legal costs to Barking and Dagenham council, a total of £20,142, payable within three months.
A council spokesperson says: “This case demonstrates that while we are always willing to work with residents to resolve planning issues, we will not tolerate those who ignore the law. Our Planning Enforcement Team is committed to ensuring that housing standards are upheld and that our communities are protected from unlawful development.”
This article is taken from Landlord Today