Court date for homeowner accused of having unsanctioned loft extension

By Adrian Zorzut, Local Democracy Reporter

A homeowner accused of building a loft extension in her roof without planning permission has pleaded not guilty during a hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.

Susan Okaikoi has been accused of breaching the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 after allegedly adding an extension to her second floor flat along Great Western Road, just north west of Hyde Park, without planning permission from Westminster City council.

Ms Okaikoi, who runs an NHS clinic in Harlesden and has a separate registered address in Forty Avenue, Wembley, was issued with an enforcement notice by the council in July 2018.

The case was finally brought to court on Wednesday, following delays caused by the pandemic and confusion over building certificates.

Early on in the hearing, Ms Okaikoi’s representative, John Davis, requested an adjournment to allow his client to carry on negotiating with Westminster City officials.

He argued it would be premature to enter a plea until negotiations had ended and an outcome had been reached. Lead magistrate Phiroze Neemuchwala refused the motion.

Mr Davis then turned to his client, who was sitting alone and separate from her lawyer, and advised her to enter her plea.

Ms Okaikoi will return for trial on July 10 at Westminster Magistrates’ Court. The court also issued an arrest warrant for Mohammed Rafiq, who is the freeholder of the property, after he failed to attend court.

Picture: Pixabay