Restaurant loved by Towie stars plans to turn shed into nine-bed dorm

A luxury Turkish restaurant loved by Towie stars wants to turn a decrepit shed on its car park into a nine-bedroom dormitory after it was raided by immigration officers. 

The Eyna, in Basildon, was opened late last year in place of a car dealership and is frequented by Towie stars including Saffron Lempriere, Jordan Brook, Junaid Ahmed, and Freddie Bentley.

But despite the glam restaurant quickly becoming a hit across Essex, it just as rapidly came onto the radar of the Home Office.

The restaurant, which had converted its adjacent storage outhouse into nine-bed housing without any planning permission, was raided in a joint operation by the Home Office, Essex Police and Basildon Council in July.

Shocked customers looked on as officers gathered up to 15 staff including waiters, chefs and barmen and questioned them. Five people were arrested, with one individual facing further detention.

Days later, the restaurant sought retrospective planning permission for the 270sqm warehouse which sits in the restaurant car park, requesting a change of use from being a 'storage outbuilding' to 'part storage and part staff rest and sleeping rooms' for restaurant staff who 'can not travel or will need to stay overnight'.

The accommodation, which has no kitchen or living facilities, was deemed by a council officer as an 'extremely poor quality living environment' and the application has been refused.

While it is not confirmed whether the immigration raid was related to the outhouse, and whether or not it was being used to house illegal workers, the Home Office said in relation to the raid that it was determined to 'clamp down both on illegal working and the exploitative treatment of illegal workers'.

The Eyna has said it has 'undergone a complete change in ownership and business operations' and 'current operations are entirely separate from any prior conduct'.

Planning documents submitted to Basildon Council show a floor plan consisting of nine-bedrooms, and a hall which has one shower, one shower and WC, a separate WC, and a washing machine and sink. 

There are also two other halls, one of which has access to a store room.

The council found that the use of the building as a habitable space is akin to that of a HMO (House of Multiple Occupation).

It also found that three of the rooms were too small to meet the minimum space requirements set out in the DCLG (Department of Housing, Communities and Local Government) Technical Housing Standard Nationally Described Space Standards.

The technical standards require that a single room have a minimum floor space of 7.5sqm, with a width of at least 2.15m.

One of the bedrooms in the outbuilding measures at just 4.3sqm, with a width of 1.8m, while another two rooms measure at 5.1sqm. One of the rooms have no windows.

Internal photographs seen by the council officer showed that some bedrooms will also accommodate bunk beds and double beds.

A number of Towie stars have enjoyed dining at The Eyna since its opening, with Saffron Lempriere raving about the 'lovely service, food, cocktails and atmosphere', promising she will be 'back soon'.

Junaid Ahmed is also an avid fan of the Turkish spot, having visited it several times.

In one Instagram story documenting the food, he wrote: 'UNREAL'. 

Towie's Jordan Brook also visited the spot with his mother for brunch.

In an Instagram story of the food they ordered, he wrote: 'Mum picked a local spot for lunch today, and what a good spot it was! @eynalounge.'

In evaluating the use of the outhouse, the council planning officer's report finds the building, which is constructed of metal cladding, is not fit for residential use and 'will result in an incongruous form of residential development' which does not reflect the 'commercial nature' of the site.

It concludes that the accommodation provides a 'very low residential amenity' and 'general poor quality of life for the proposed occupants'.

The building itself was granted planning permission in 2013 when it was used in association with a car showroom, to be used to pre-delivery inspections and the cleaning of cars. It was then used for storage of stock by the restaurant.

The application's existing floor plan and proposed floor plan are identical, confirming all the work had already been done before a planning application was first lodged.

While the owner of the restaurant is an Abdullah Tekagac, the applicant on the planning application is named as Murat Oktem, whose social media indicates he is also linked to the restaurant.

The planning report, which refuses planning permission, also questions whether insulation has been incorporated into the building to ensure the occupants health and well-being. Concerns are also raised over noise in the area due to the restaurant and car park and the lack of nearby amenities due to it not being a residential area.

The warehouse is located 23.4m from the restaurant, and is situated in the middle of the car park, just off the A132 highway.

The council report reads: 'The part retrospective change of use from an ancillary storage outbuilding into part ancillary storage and part habitable space, not constructed for residential purposes of any kind, of a warehouse appearance, located within a commercial car park and used for the housing of a large number of occupants will result in an incongruous form of residential development which does not reflect the commercial nature of the application site and will be out of character with the context of the site, providing a very low residential amenity and general poor quality of life for the proposed occupants.

'The part retrospective change of use from an ancillary storage outbuilding into part ancillary storage and part habitable space does not create places which promote health and well-being, with a high standard of amenity for future users but will result in a high level of noise and disturbance, insufficient indoor and outdoor amenity space to serve the occupiers, and insufficient bed spaces, which lead to adverse impacts to the occupiers’ residential amenities and offers an extremely poor quality living environment for users.'

The Home Office said in regard to the immigration raid in July: 'We are determined to clamp down both on illegal working and the exploitative treatment of illegal workers.

'Vulnerable individuals can find themselves trapped in unsafe and insecure conditions, facing exploitation and even modern-day slavery, often facilitated by organised criminal gangs.'

The Eyna said: 'As of September 2024, our company has undergone a complete change in ownership and business operations. 

'The previous management is no longer associated with the business, and the current operations are entirely separate from any prior conduct.'