Seamus Mulvenna was issued with an enforcement notice requiring the removal of the unauthorised property by this month.

But he has lodged another planning appeal on the case, having lost an earlier ruling.

The three-floor house is located in rural land at Tamnabrack, on the outskirts of Glenarm.

A spokesman for the Department of the Environment's Planning Service said: " The Planning Service can confirm that planning approval has not been given for the dwelling adjacent to 1A Tamnabrack Lane, Glenarm.

"The enforcement notice, which was upheld by the Planning Appeals Commission (PAC), required the removal of the unauthorised development by February 3, 2007.

"The Planning Service is now considering appropriate action.

"An appeal against the refusal of planning permission is still to be heard by the PAC."

Mr Mulvenna is a director of Grier Mulvenna, the firm behind a £30m development plan for Glenarm.

In a statement to this newspaper, he said his planning dispute had no bearing on his company's plans for the village.

He said: "The Tamnabrack appeal is a personal matter completely unrelated to the business or trading activity of Grier Mulvenna Limited which is a separate company."

Mr Mulvenna also said: "The dwelling house at Tamnabrack is currently the subject of a planning appeal.

"The current house was built as a barn conversion after the original dwelling house on the site had fallen into disrepair and was being used for agricultural purposes.

"The site was previously occupied by a dwelling house on the family farm for many years. The site has always been regarded as a dwelling house site by my family who have lived in that area for generations."