Clive Palmer sued the Gold Coast City Council in Australia after it refused to let him build 3,000 homes on the 75-hectare plot he bought for $11.5 million AUD (around £6 million) in 2010.

The council refused the planning application in 2016 on the basis that the proposed development was too close to the sewage treatment plant and falls within a floodplain which could be adversely affected.

Mr Palmer subsequently sued, kicking off a legal battle which finally ended in defeat last week, ABC reports.

Judge Amanda McDonnell said residents in the proposed homes “will be subject to adverse odours such that the residents would not enjoy a high level of amenity”.