Millionaire ignored order to halt building

MILLIONAIRE Jim Mansfield appeared in court yesterday accused of starting building work on a giant conference centre without planning permission.

A council building inspector told Tallaght District Court that he had taken photographs of huge earth excavations beside the developer and builder's luxury Citywest Hotel near Saggart, Co Dublin.

South Dublin County Council are prosecuting Mr Mansfield for starting work on the 5,800-seat conference centre without permission and for ignoring an enforcement notice to halt work to allow time for planning permission appeals.

Tony Donnelly said he took photographs of an excavated site 100 yards long and 60 yards wide on September 11 last year. More photographs were taken by Mr Donnelly and other members of council staff on further visits during November, December and January.

Senior counsel James Connelly told Judge James McDonald of a number of letters written by the council to Mr Mansfield's company, HSS Limited, ordering a halt to the building work. Steel girders had been erected throughout the vast site of the new centre.

The council wrote a series of letters to him criticising him for his failure to abide by an enforcement notice to cease building work. Mr Mansfield's company had applied for planning permission in June last year.

The company wrote to the county manager on December 22 stating it was seeking to have the building ready for Ireland's EU presidency. The case continues.