11:01 am, September 11, 2025
An illegal used car dealer has been ordered to close after it was found to be operating without proper planning permission.
The Moorings Garage has been operating from its site in Hornchurch for some time but it has now emerged it does not have permission to be there.
The firm, which also goes by TM UK Trading, has therefore been issued a planning enforcement notice by the local Havering Council, ordering the business to close.
The notice describes the dealership as ‘inappropriate’ and ‘harmful’ to the green belt land which it sits on.
It also claims that the noise created by the busy site is having an ‘adverse impact’ on locals.
As a result of the notice, the Moorings Garage must ‘cease the use of the site for storage and sales of vehicles, and as a car wash’ by January 6, 2026.
The document also orders the removal of all vehicles, debris, rubbish or materials from the site.
Failure to vacate the premises could result in court action but the Romford Recorder reports that the firm is planning to appeal the ruling.
Bosses told the paper that they are currently in discussions with their landlord, after having a retrospective planning application rejected in August of last year.
Car Dealer has contacted The Moorings Garage for comment.
