Eight illegal homes in Kanli Mews, Lewisham must be demolished in 2026

Key Points

• Eight terraced rental houses in Kanli Mews, Lewisham, south London, must be demolished after Lewisham Council ruled they were built illegally on a site originally approved only for warehouse units.
• The site behind local shops was granted planning permission in 2009 for storage units, but developers Eden Park Property Ltd erected two‑storey homes instead and named the development Kanli Mews after its co‑directors Husayin, Koray and Sanel Kanli.
• Tenants have been paying rents of around £1,050 a month, largely unaware that the properties lacked proper planning consent.
• In 2021, Lewisham Council issued an enforcement notice ordering the homes to be demolished or converted back to storage; an independent planning inspector upheld that order in March 2026, describing the units as “substandard” and “poor quality accommodation” with inadequate outdoor space.
• Turkish‑born resident Magbule Selyahtinova, 50, told the Daily Mail that she and her husband are “stuck in limbo” with no clear alternative housing, while others have already left the mews as demolition looms.

Lewisham (South London News) April 28, 2026 – Families living in eight terraced houses on Kanli Mews now face possible homelessness after Lewisham Council ruled that the properties were illegally built and must be demolished, reported James Saunders of GB News and the Daily Mail. The development, which sits on a narrow strip of land behind shops, was meant for storage units only – but instead became a row of rental homes marketed as a residential mews.

How did the illegal homes come to be built?

The story begins with a 2009 planning decision in which Lewisham Council permitted the replacement of existing garages with eight storage units on the site.

As reported by James Saunders of GB News, the firm Eden Park Property Ltd – co‑directed by Husayin, Koray and Sanel Kanli – purchased the land in 2018 and went on to construct a row of two‑storey terraced houses, branding the block Kanli Mews after its directors.

Tenants were subsequently charged rents of up to £1,050 per month, with no indication that the properties lacked lawful planning consent, according to GB News.

Many residents, including Magbule Selyahtinova, moved in unaware that they were occupying accommodation that had never been approved for housing.

What did the council and the planning inspector say?

In 2021, Lewisham Council issued an enforcement notice ordering the developer either to demolish the entire site or to convert the buildings back into storage units, as reported by GB News. Eden Park Property Ltd appealed that decision, but in March 2026, an independent planning inspector, Timothy King, upheld the council’s enforcement order.

As detailed in the GB News report, the inspector described the roughly 50‑square‑metre homes as providing a “poor standard of accommodation,” lacking adequate outdoor space and deemed “unsuitable for habitation” under relevant planning standards.

The inspector also concluded that the development was

“harmful to the character of the surrounding area.”

Under this ruling, the structures are now classified as “substandard” and must be removed unless rebuilt in line with the original warehouse‑use permission.

Why are some families now at risk of homelessness?

Currently, only a handful of tenants remain on Kanli Mews, according to reports in the Daily Mail, which notes that several others have already vacated after learning of the demolition order. Among those still inside is Magbule Selyahtinova, 50, who told the Daily Mail that she has lived in the mews for about five years and had no idea the homes were built illegally.

As quoted by the Daily Mail, Selyahtinova said:

“I’m stressed because I have nowhere to go. We’re stuck in limbo. Where will we go?”

She added that she and her husband are looking for alternative rental accommodation, but say landlords are reluctant to accept them because they claim Universal Credit. According to the same report, she and her husband continue to pay over £1,000 a month in rent while the threat of eviction and demolition hangs over them.

What options does the developer have now?

Eden Park Property Ltd must either demolish the eight houses or rebuild the site as warehouse or light‑industrial units, in line with the original 2009 consent, as outlined by GB News.

The firm has also submitted a fresh planning application seeking to convert the terrace into five residential properties, but Lewisham Council has not yet issued a decision on that proposal.

The site has been placed on the commercial market with sales particulars stating that the existing houses require demolition, followed by construction of a warehouse or light‑industrial premises.

As quoted by GB News, one of the company’s co‑directors, Husayin Kanli, initially claimed there was “no issue at all” and that “there’s no one living there”; when informed that tenants still occupied the mews, he cut short the call, according to the same report.

What support routes exist for affected tenants?

Publicly listed housing options services for Lewisham indicate that the local authority can assess entitlement to housing for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, offer temporary accommodation where a statutory duty arises, and provide general housing advice.

However, the Daily Mail and GB News reports do not give specific details on whether affected Kanli Mews tenants have been formally accepted as homeless or offered interim housing by the council, beyond Selyahtinova’s remark that she and her family are waiting for a response after contacting the council.

Given the small size of the mews and the fact that Eden Park has more than one planning route open (including a pending residential‑conversion application), the practical timing and manner of any demolition remain uncertain, GB News notes. In the meantime, remaining tenants continue to occupy homes that planning authorities have judged unlawful and unsuitable for long‑term residential use.

Background to the development at Kanli Mews

The Kanli Mews site sits on a narrow plot behind shops in Lewisham, an area already subject to multiple housing and regeneration debates in recent years, as previously covered by local‑London outlets such as OnLondon. The original 2009 planning permission strictly limited the land’s use to storage units, a constraint that developers appear to have bypassed by constructing permanent residential structures.

Planning‑inspection records cited by GB News show that the enforcement case hinged on the mismatch between the built form (two‑storey houses) and the land‑use classification (warehouse/storage), as well as the cramped and amenity‑poor conditions inside the units.

The inspector concluded that the development was not only unlawful but also harmful to the local character, embedding the decision within broader principles of planning‑law defensibility and neighbourhood‑impact assessment.

Prediction: How this development could affect Lewisham residents and similar tenants

For Lewisham residents and other private‑rental tenants in London’s tight housing market, the Kanli Mews case highlights the risk of occupying properties that later prove to lack planning consent, even when landlords appear legitimate, and rent levels are relatively high. If more such cases surface, tenants may become warier of small‑scale developments marketed without clear planning‑consent documentation, while landlords may face greater scrutiny over the legality of conversions from storage or commercial use to residential.

For homeless and quasi‑homeless households, particularly those reliant on Universal Credit or similar benefits, the episode underlines how a single unlawful building can push several families into housing insecurity at once, especially if local authorities are slow to assess or accommodate them. In the longer term, councils may respond by tightening checks on conversions and enforcing compliance earlier in the development cycle, which could reduce the number of illegal homes but also increase pressure on lawful, affordable supply in already‑congested boroughs like Lewisham.