A former Carlisle takeaway owner has been landed with a £17,000 bill after he was found guilty of breaching planning laws.
Salem Mohammed, who used to own Milano’s Pizza, appeared at Carlisle Magistrates Court and was fined £10,000 for continuing work on the former chip shop on Lismore Street.
He was also ordered to pay Carlisle City Council’s costs of almost £5,000 and a £2,000 surcharge.
Mohammed ignored Carlisle City Council’s requests that he stop unauthorised structural work on the premises, which used to be known as Broad Street Fryer.
The council’s enforcement team served him with an official temporary stop notice, but the court heard that Mohammed continued to allow work to be undertaken at the site.
Carlisle City Council had refused permission for three applications submitted by Mohammed for the property.
It had refused them on the grounds of the scale and proportions of the proposed shop front did not accord with the character and style of the surrounding Victorian properties which are within the city’s conservation area. In March, the Planning Inspectorate upheld the council’s decisions.
The court was told that Mohammed had demonstrated an astonishing disregard for the planning regime and had completely ignored the statutory notice requiring him to stop working on the premises. Mohammed did not appear and was found guilty in his absence.
The fine, costs and victim surcharge totalling £16,991.44 has to be paid within 28 days.
Carlisle City councillor Marilyn Bowman, portfolio holder for economy, enterprise and housing, said after the case: “We always try and work with developers to achieve an acceptable outcome, but when they don’t comply and continue to undertake unauthorised works we will take formal action. We welcome the court’s ruling. “
