Owner faces court in 'unfair' planning row

Amarjit Singh, leaseholder of the Guru Kirpa Centre in The Broadway, faces prosecution proceedings after being accused of carrying out alteration work to the shop front and storage area without planning permission.

Mr Singh, who became leaseholder in 2004, was served with an enforcement notice early last year. But he said he has repeatedly tried to discuss the matter with planning officers, and they have ignored him.

He said: "I'm not a law breaker and I have not broken any planning laws. I have sent letters to the council requesting if I could discuss the matter with them. I never got a reply."

Mr Singh added that the site, which contains 11 units selling everything from mobile phone accessories to videos and DVDs, is exactly the same as it was when he became leaseholder.

And now he has written to Ealing and Southall MP Virendra Sharma, asking him to help fight his case.

An Ealing Council spokeswoman said: "After it was confirmed that a breach of planning control was
occurring on site, the council served an enforcement notice last year for shop front alterations and the enclo-sure of a storage area to form an office area without the required planning permission.

"The notice required removal of unauthorised shop front and storage
area alterations, reinstating original architectural features and removing any resultant debris. This was dated February 1, 2007 and was effective on March 28 of that year, with a compliance period of three months.

"The developer appealed the notice, which was dismissed on
December 20. Due to the appeal, the compliance period lapsed on the March 20 this year.

"A compliance check has now been carried out and as a result the council has instigated prosecution proceedings. It is not known at this stage when the court date is."