The billionaire ruler of Dubai is currently embroiled in a dispute to prevent the demolition of his newly constructed mansion, marking the latest controversy over his lavish estate in the Scottish Highlands.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, aged 76, is in the midst of building a sprawling 15-bedroom residence on his expansive 63,000-acre property at Inverinate in Wester Ross. However, midway through the project, he altered the original design.

Though he initially secured the necessary permissions, the Sheikh proceeded to incorporate changes that deviated from the approved plans, thereby violating planning regulations.

He is now seeking retrospective approval for these modifications. Should this request fail, the local council might demand the dismantling of the opulent structure.

Among the unauthorized alterations are a utility room extension, a chimney breast, a fireplace, a redesigned main entrance featuring a sandstone arch, as well as resized windows and roof lights.

The estate is located within a protected conservation zone along the banks of Loch Duich, an area subject to strict regulations. This region serves as a habitat for deer, Eurasian otters, pipistrelle bats, and western European hedgehogs.

Nearby residents are up in arms about the planning blunder, with one telling The Telegraph that it ‘beggars belief that the Sheikh and his family weren’t aware of the planning permission procedure’.

They added: ‘Of course, he’s always welcome here and has been good to the local community, but surely they would be aware of our laws regarding building, especially with all the building work in recent years?’

The deluxe estate boasts three helipads and a swimming pool. Sheikh Mohammed visits once or twice a year after he bought the place more than 20 years ago.

Dubai’s billionaire ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum at his Inverinate Estate in Wester Ross, Scotland in August

The new 15-bedroom mansion would be the ninth building constructed by the Sheikh at Inverinate and it’s not the first run in he’s had with the Council’s planning committee

The Dubai billionaire is a prominent figure in the horse racing industry and one of the largest landowners in the UK. He holds more than 100,000 acres of land in the country – amounting to more than King Charles’ private estates of around 70,000 acres.

Documents seen by the Telegraph said the Sheikh’s representatives at the Inverinate estate were ‘unaware planning permission was required for the amended works’.

This new 15-bed mansion is only the latest part of the major expansion the site has undergone in recent years. It is the ninth building constructed in the compound and joins several other large houses that have gone up beside a new cottage, two new lodges and the helipads.

All this development has been done to accommodate guests and staff.

A planning statement submitted to the Highland council said: ‘The owners of Inverinate estate typically travel in large groups of immediate and extended family and friends. 

‘In recent years, their travel to Inverinate has been limited by a lack of accommodation. Additional staff accommodation was completed in 2022 to create infrastructure that would support greater use of the estate.’

It added: ‘The proposals do not alter the fundamental scale, use, or overall design intent of the previously approved scheme.’

Roddy Macleod, who lives next to the estate, previously said: ‘Nobody realises just how much of a massive great structure this will be. He just seems determined to keep going with this. It has been a real strain.’

It is not the first time the Sheikh has flouted planning rules, as last year he put up solar panels on the estate without permission. The council then later allowed him to keep them.

His plans for the estate often come up against opposition, as in 2020 when his proposal of a new six-bedroom lodge to be built was blocked by the Council, which sided with more than 30 objectors.

Inverinate sits in a protected conservation area on the banks of Loch Duich (pictured) and is home to home to deer, Eurasian otters, pipistrelle bats and western European hedgehogs

However, the Scottish Government overruled the council and the lodge was built despite local outrage.

As a concession to ease tensions, the billionaire’s property firm, Smech Management, had to pay £30,000 towards local affordable housing.

Sheikh Mohammed owns Godolphin stables, a sprawling, state-of-the-art complex based at the home of horse racing in Newmarket, Suffolk. Here he also wanted to built two tarmac helipads at Warren Place, a racing stables which he bought from the trainer Sir Henry Cecil in 2015.

However, this was vetoed when Anglian Water objected over concerns the development would contaminate water sources with aviation fuel. 

The stables feature a swimming pool for horses and even an equine spa.

His main residence in the UK is said to be Longcross, a £75 million country estate in Surrey that he bought in 1976. His daughter Princess Shamsa reportedly tried to escape the compound here in 2000, then aged 19.

She was tracked down to a street in Cambridge and flown back to Dubai by private jet which took off from Newmarket.

He also owns massive estates in Essex and Suffolk. He bought another £13million mansion in Surrey in 2020 and a vast house in Belgravia Square, London, in 2013 and a six-storey terrace in Knightsbridge for £61.5million.

The UK property empire is said to be for the benefit of the Sheikh’s six wives and 30 children.

He became the Ruler of Dubai in January 2006. He is the third of four sons of Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed, who ruled for 32 years from 1958.

His fortune is valued at £11billion, making him one of the richest men in the world. His links to the UK date back to his teenage years after he was sent to an English language school in Cambridge following secondary school in the UAE. He then went to the British Army’s officer cadet school at Aldershot for six months’ military training.

His father began Dubai’s transformation to become a financial trading centre of the world, which the young Sheikh was a great supporter of. His father died in 1990 and his eldest brother followed in 2006, leaving him to take charge. 

The Daily Mail has contacted the Government of Dubai’s media office for a comment.