A woman from Chelsea who repeatedly flouted planning laws by running an unauthorised hotel in Perivale and later converting the property into flats has been ordered to pay £430,000 following a long-running legal battle with Ealing Council.
Sanaa Al-Hadethee, of Chelsea Manor Street, was sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 26 September 2025 after being found guilty of multiple breaches of planning enforcement notices. She was ordered to pay £405,728.08 under the Proceeds of Crime Act, along with a £5,000 fine and £20,000 in prosecution costs.
The case concerned a six-bedroom house at 76 Horsenden Lane South in Perivale, which Ms Al-Hadethee bought in 2017. Council investigators found it was being used as an unauthorised hotel, prompting an enforcement notice in 2018 requiring her to stop trading and remove additional kitchens and bathrooms.
Although she initially complied, a further inspection in August 2020 revealed the property had been converted without permission into 10 self-contained flats, all let on long-term tenancies. A second enforcement notice was issued, but Ms Al-Hadethee’s appeal was dismissed by the national Planning Inspectorate in 2022. Her attempt to overturn that ruling through judicial review also failed.
After pandemic-related delays, she was convicted in June 2024 at Aldersgate House Nightingale Court.
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.”
