Bills push aerodrome into liquidation

PROPERTY MAGNATE Jim Mansfield’s Weston Aerodrome is in liquidation after it emerged that the business could not pay the legal bills that resulted from its planning battles with a series of State authorities.

The High Court last night appointed Luke Charleton of Ernst & Young as provisional liquidator of Weston Aerodrome, the unlimited company that manages the airfield of the same name near Lucan, Co Dublin.

Mr Charleton was appointed at the request of the new board of directors which took responsibility for Weston last April.

In a statement yesterday, the board said it took this step “when the extent of a number of previously undisclosed cost claims became evident to the directors after their appointment”.

Weston had been involved in a number of planning disputes with both Kildare and South Dublin county councils over the last decade.

Many of them went from the local authorities to An Bord Pleanála, the State planning appeals board, and from there to judicial review proceedings.

Mr Mansfield’s ambitions for his property empire, which included the Citywest Hotel in Saggart, Co Dublin, frequently led to conflict with the planning authorities.

The directors, John McInerney, Patrick Shanahan, Patrick Ryan and Ray Jackson, said that the decision to seek Mr Charleton’s appointment was based on the “very substantial amount of the costs associated with these cases,” which they said had not been paid.

Mr Charleton will work with Kieran Wallace, who last April was appointed share receiver to Weston Aerodrome, to sell the business.

Mr Wallace said yesterday that the aerodrome has been trading well since he became involved with the business last April. Private craft and flying schools are the main source of income and the aerodrome turns over about €1 million a year.

Mr Wallace was appointed receiver to Fallowvale, which owns the aerodrome site, in April. At the same time, he became share receiver of Weston Aerodrome, the management company.

He appointed the current four-member board to Weston Aerodrome within days of taking over. Mr Mansfield and his sons, Anthony and PJ, stepped down from the board in the summer.

Fallowvale is the beneficial owner of the management company through two Isle of Man-registered entities, Dunbeg and Fanmore.