A United States federal appeals court has blocked President Donald Trump from continuing with the construction of his high-publicised ballroom on the site of the White House’s demolished East Wing.

The decision followed a lawsuit filed against Mr Trump by the National Trust for Historic Preservation last year after he ordered the tearing down of the East Wing to make way for the establishment of a $400 million ballroom.

District Judge Richard Leon subsequently granted a preliminary injunction stopping above-ground construction work on the site but allowed underground work to continue, prompting the Trump administration to file an appeal.

In a 2-1 majority decision on Friday, the Washington-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied the appeal filed by the Trump administration, ruling that Mr Trump lacked the authority to order the construction without Congressional approval.

The court also held that each president is a temporary resident of the White House and as such, Mr Trump cannot fundamentally change the structure of the residence without the U.S. Congress.

“Each President is a temporary tenant, not the owner, of the White House and its Executive Residence. The President has no – and claims no – constitutionally assigned authority over 

that property, which is designed and maintained for the use of all Presidents, current and future, and for the American people. 

“As the defendant National Park Service has explained, “the White House is owned by the American people and stewarded by the National Park Service. It is more than the President’s residence; it is a site for protests and national discourse about what it means to be American,” the court said.

Meanwhile, the court has given the Trump administration 14 days to seek a review of the judgment at the Supreme Court.