A local property developer who ignored a council notice to undo an illegal conversion of a house has been found guilty and fined £20,000 plus costs.

Mr Manjit Singh Sira of Church Avenue, Southall, was found guilty of ignoring a council enforcement notice at Ealing Magistrates Court on Tuesday 20 March 2012 and sentenced on Friday 13 April 2012.

Mr Sira owned a house in Church Avenue, Southall, which he converted into two separate flats without any planning permission.

Ealing Council issued him with an enforcement notice, in November 2008, giving him six months to return the flats back into a single home and to clear any debris from the land. He did not comply.

By the time the case came to court, Mr Sira had already sold both flats. He stated that despite contacting the buyers several times and offering to buy the flats back, he could not purchase them.

He also claimed that he was not related to the purchasers. He provided no evidence to support this claim or to show what he had done with the profits from the sale of the flats.

However, the buyer of one of the flats was Mr Sira’s nephew who said that he had never discussed selling the flat back to his uncle. The purchaser of the other flat stated in court that he would have been willing to sell the flat back to Mr Sira if he had been offered a good price.

Mr Sira claimed that he had made a loss from the sale of the properties, but did not provide sufficient evidence to support this in court.

The court ordered him to pay a £20,000 fine, £2582.73 council costs and £15 victim surcharge. He was given 28 days to pay.

The mortgage companies who loaned the money for the purchase of the two flats are now applying for retrospective planning permission.

Pat Hayes, Executive Director for Regeneration and Housing, said: "Planning regulations are in place for good reasons and people must obtain all of the relevant permissions before carrying out major building works."

"Mr Sira showed a deliberate disregard for planning rules and processes and has paid a hefty price. This conviction is a result of months of painstaking work by our enforcement team and sends out a message to unscrupulous developers that we will use our full powers to stop them from creating unauthorised developments."