Property developer Patrick McKillen has lodged an application for permission to appeal to the Court of Appeal in London a decision against him by the High Court earlier this month in his long-running battle with the billionaire Barclay brothers. Mr McKillen’s action was over control of three luxury London hotels.

The Belfast-born businessman was refused permission to appeal by Mr Justice David Richards when he made his ruling, but Mr McKillen had until yesterday to decide if he would seek permission from the Court of Appeal, which he did by close of business yesterday.

The court could now take up to two months to decide if it will do so.

Mr Justice Richards decided that David and Frederick Barclay had not breached any of Mr McKillen’s rights under a shareholders’ agreement to a first option to buy shares held by financier Derek Quinlan in the luxury hotel group Coroin, which owns the Connaught, the Berkeley and Claridges hotels.

Under the court judgment, Mr McKillen must pay within weeks much of the £20 million legal bill left by the High Court.

The action began with pre- trial hearings last November and finished with nearly a month of full trial hearings before the summer break.