Southend council is set to close an illegal hotel in Westcliff.

Councillors are expected to vote to take enforcement action against the owner 164 Southbourne Grove which has been turned into the Lotus Lodge hotel without planning permission.

The two-storey detached house is being advertised both as a guest house and as a hotel on websites such as booking.com, and airbnb.com

The adverts show there are four rooms available to rent in the property.

In March last year council officers mounted an investigation after receiving a complaint from a resident.

They were shown around the property by someone who said he was a caretaker who confirmed the rooms were available.

The owner, who told officers he was planning to create a yoga retreat at the property, was urged to apply for retrospective planning permission.

An application for a six-bedroom guest house, which was not submitted until July, was refused by planning officers and an appeal was lodged in September.

Officers refused permission as the property was not in a “key area” designated for visitor accommodation, in central Southend, the seafront and airport areas.

An application to run the property as a bedsit - house of multiple occupation (HMO) - was lodged some time ago but later withdrawn. Its current occupier said she believes the property does have an HMO licence. Kirpor Sokhi said: “The property was an HMO.

“There were 30 people living in the property.

“I rented the property from a landlord either to run it as an HMO or to maybe apply for licence to run it as a guest house. I applied for that but they said no.

“I haven’t decided what to do at the moment. I’m hoping to get some advice from councillors. I was quite happy running it as a guest house, but if I can’t it will go back to being an HMO.”