Defendants ordered to pay £50k-plus after running unauthorised car park

Two men have been ordered to pay more than £50,000 after running an unauthorised airport car park.

Imran Shahid and Tariq Wasi, directors of Airport Parking Limited, had converted land at Lower Hollow Copse in Copthorne in 2014. However, they failed to apply for the necessary planning permission.

After receiving complaints from the public, the Planning Enforcement Team at Mid Sussex District Council issued Shahid and Wasi with a stop notice. However, the defendants failed to comply and carried on trading.

Mid Sussex worked alongside Surrey County Council’s Trading Standards team to prosecute the pair and pursue a confiscation order under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

On 13 February 2015 the defendants pleaded guilty at Worthing Magistrates’ Court to failing to comply with the stop notice.

Shahid and Wasi were sentenced at Chichester Crown Court last month (29 October 2015).

They were fined £3,000, while Airport Parking Limited was fined a nominal sum of £100. The Crown Court judge also ordered Shahid and Wasi to pay Mid Sussex District Council’s costs of £9,500.

The defendants accepted that they had benefitted to the tune of £34,578 by ignoring the stop notice and continuing to run the car park for a further 11 days. The judge ordered that the full amount be confiscated.

Cllr Andrew MacNaughton, Mid-Sussex’s Cabinet Member for Planning, said: “This is the first time that we have used the Proceeds of Crime Act and it has sent a clear message: you will not be able to profit from ignoring planning regulations.

“Planning laws are in place for a reason; they protect the local environment from inappropriate development and give the people who will be affected by the scheme a chance to have their say. I hope this prosecution shows that if you try to bypass the planning system we will take action and pursue the matter through the courts if necessary.”