Ealing (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Ealing Council wins a £430,000 case against a Chelsea woman who ignored planning laws, running an unauthorised hotel and converting it into illegal flats.
On September 26, 2025, Sanaa Al- Hadethee of Chelsea Manor Street was set up shamefaced of numerous violations of planning enforcement orders and doomed at Snaresbrook Crown Court.
Under the Proceeds of Crime Act, she was ordered to pay£ 405,728.08 in addition to £20,000 in execution costs and a £5,000 penalty.
The action included Ms. Al-Hadethee’s 2017 purchase of a six- bedroom home at 76 Horsenden Lane South in Perivale. In 2018, she entered an enforcement notice forcing her to cease operations and remove redundant kitchens and toilets after Ealing council investigators discovered it was being employed as an unapproved hostel.
Despite her original compliance, a follow-up check in August 2020 set up that the property had been unlawfully converted into ten independent apartments, all of which were leased on long- term contracts.
In 2022, the public Planning Inspectorate rejected Ms. Al- Hadethee’s appeal despite issuing an alternate enforcement notice.
She also failed in her attempt to use judicial review to overturn that decision.
She was found guilty in June 2024 in Aldersgate House Nightingale Court following delays caused by the pandemic.
Councillor Shital Manro, Ealing Council’s cabinet member for good growth and new homes, said:
“This case shows our commitment to protecting residents by enforcing planning rules and ensuring unlawful development isn’t profitable.
Most landlords act responsibly, but a small minority risk safety for a quick payout. We will continue to take strong action to protect tenants and ensure they live in safe, well-maintained homes.”
What penalties and restitution were ordered in the case?
A fiscal penalty of £430,000 assessed on the defendant as a forfeiture for violating planning regulations. An order to cease the unauthorized use of the property, effectively shutting down the illegal hostel and apartments.
Compensation or reparation to the council for the costs incurred in executing the case and administering compliance, which frequently accompanies similar rulings. Possible fresh costs related to undoing the unauthorized transformations and restoring the property to its legal use, which would be executed by the council.
These measures serve both corrective and restorative purposes chastising the unauthorized exertion and icing the original authority recovers costs while guarding community planning norms.
