Enfield restaurant chain owner fined for creating banqueting suite

A RESTAURANT owner was fined £25,000 after being prosecuted by Enfield Council for setting up a banqueting suite without planning permission.

Gursel Aksu, 49, of of Hyde Way, Edmonton, who owns and runs the Kervan restaurant chain in Enfield, converted his car show room in Fore Street, Edmonton, into the Kervan Banqueting Suite, which also included a hairdressers, café, photographers and a car park.

In 2009, Aksu applied for but was refused planning permission for the site. But during 2010 he began building works. During this period, despite receiving stop notices from the council due to noise complaints and highway safety, Aksu continued the illegal building works and trading on the site.

In 2011 he gained conditional planning permission after submitting a second application, but final consent was not given until June 2012.

At Wood Green Crown Court Aksu was found guilty of contravening stop notices under planning legislation ten times. On September 9 in addition to the fine, Aksu was ordered to pay £9,000 costs to the council and confiscation of £52,500 under the Proceeds of Crime Act, if he fails to pay within a year he faces up to three years in prison.

Cabinet member for environment Chris Bond said: “Planning rules are there to protect residents from inappropriate and disruptive developments and it is completely unacceptable that a company utterly ignores these laws and instructions to stop trading when the council intervenes.”

Mr Bond added: “This punishment by the court is a huge slap in the face to people who trade illegally and think they can do whatever they want regardless of the impact their activities have on people living near the businesses.”

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