The owner of a Brighton property who turned it into flats without planning permission has been ordered to convert it back to a house.
Bo Wu turned the house in St John’s Place, Brighton, partitioned half of the ground floor to create a flat and a maisonette, according to Brighton and Hove City Council.
The flat has a floor area of just 32 square metres when the minimum requirement is 115 square metres or more.
The maisonette has an estimated 64 square metres of floor area.
Council enforcement officers have served two notices on Ms Wu.
She also carried out landscaping involving curved terracing which has created overlooking and loss of privacy to the neighbouring properties.
By standing on the higher levels of the terrace it is now possible to look into the rear gardens of three other houses.
Councillor Lynda Hyde, chairman of the council’s planning committee, said: “Subdividing this small family dwelling is contrary to our policies for good reason.
“It has created cramped and substandard accommodation for anyone who lives there.
“Once again I would urge householders to seek advice from planning officers before going ahead with alterations to their properties and not to undertake work without the required permission.”
