Star told to demolish part of mansion

HOLLYWOOD actor Antonio Banderas is reeling after being ordered to demolish part of his €6.7 million beachfront home in Marbella.

After becoming the latest victim of Spain’s new clean-up on illegal homes, The Mask of Zorro star has been told corrupt former town hall chiefs should never have given a previous owner permission to build the property.

A court in Malaga has ordered him to knock down a 300-square-foot wing of the mansion near Marbella — about a fifth of the property — within eight weeks.

The decision follows the demolition of British expats Len and Helen Prior’s home in the coastal town of Vera, south east Spain.

A bulldozer tore down their £350,000 property after the regional government revoked the building licence issued by the town hall.

The move has sent shockwaves through Irish and British expat communities in resorts on the popular Costa Blanca and Costa del Sol.

Spanish-born Banderas used his Marbella home — nicknamed La Gaviota or The Seagull — to rehearse his part in hit film The Mask Of Zorro.

He and wife Melanie Griffith bought the six-bedroom house 11 years ago as their summer holiday home after renting it for nearly a year.

The edge of the walled property extends onto a sandy beach in the upmarket residential area of Los Monteros, a 10-minute drive from Marbella town centre.

Neighbours have long argued Banderas is the victim of corrupt town hall officials who allowed the property to be built on land used for community benefit after illegally reclassifying it in return for backhanders.

Lawyers for the star are expected to appeal the court ruling.

Spain’s socialist government recently announced plans to push for the demolition of thousands of Costa homes.

Beachfront properties along nearly 500 miles of the country’s coastline will be targeted.

Environment ministers behind the plan have said they intend negotiating compensation packages as part of a “carrot and stick” approach.

Critics say the move is fuelled partly by political rivalry.