Council to net £500k+ from order against landlord for planning breach

The London Borough of Brent stands to receive more than £500,000 after a landlord who converted a house into 12 flats without planning consent was ordered to pay a record sum of more than £1.4m.

A judge at Norwich Crown Court this week ordered Salah Ali, 52 of 67 Carlton Avenue East in Wembley, to pay:

• a fine of £4,000 for the breach of planning regulations;
• legal costs of almost £35,000; and
• a confiscation order of £1.438m.

A restraint order has been placed on the defendant, preventing him from disposing of his assets before paying up.

The case followed a two-year investigation by planning enforcement officers at Brent Council into the property in Willesden Lane.

Brent will receive 37.5% of the confiscation order. The other 62.5% will go to the Treasury and the court collection agency.

The judge said Ali would have to pay up within six months or face a ten-year prison sentence.

Chris Walker, Brent Council's Assistant Director of Planning and Major Projects, said: "This landlord ignored planning rules designed to ensure that the quality of accommodation in the boroughs is maintained and that the environment for surrounding residents is protected. He ignored the council's notices and as a result, he profited hugely from this sub-standard accommodation."