Latest news with #WoollahraCouncil
Daily Mail
09-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Yet another blow for the uber-wealthy owner of $26million Sydney mansion that sparked a years-long legal feud
An estranged member of a prominent Sydney family has lost a years-long court battle with his neighbour over the garage of his $26million mansion. The opulent, Spanish-style home on Tivoli Avenue in Rose Bay, known as Villa Biscaya, has featured on Married At First Sight, The Bachelor and The Voice. But more recently, it has been the subject of multiple legal feuds involving its owner, David Waterhouse, an estranged member of the Waterhouse bookmaker family. Mr Waterhouse sold the property in 2023 for $26million to Aston Martin-driving investment banker Michael Rothner, of private equity firm Ashe Morgan. Mr Rothner moved into the property in January, but settlement has not concluded. It was a tidy profit for the ex-bookmaker, who purchased the home for $10.5million in 2020, pocketing more than double what he paid for it. For all the tranquility the harbourside mansion may offer, it continues to be tainted by an ongoing legal battle relating to Mr Waterhouse's plans to transform its street-level garage into a 'self-contained dwelling'. Mr Waterhouse sought to modify a development approval obtained by a previous owner in 2007 for works to the garage which were ultimately not carried out. Woollahra Council approved the application but things took a turn when the owner of a neighbouring property, Mincong Huang, opposed the proposal. His lawyer Graham McKee wrote to the council, arguing the new works were substantially different to those sanctioned by the initial development approval. He claimed the new works would increase the 'apparent visual bulk and locate more of the development hard of the boundary of our client's property'. The lengthy legal battle concluded on Friday, when Justice Sarah Pritchard of the Land and Environment Court ruled the works could not proceed. Justice Pritchard decided the 2007 development approval could not be relied upon by Mr Waterhouse as it had lapsed in June 2012. While the decision may have brought closure to the feuding millionaires, it's only the latest in a string of legal challenges pertaining to the block. Last year, Mr Waterhouse launched proceedings against Mr Rothner's ex-wife who he accused of cutting down trees on a neighbouring property. Both Mr Rothner and his ex-wife have denied the claims. Mr Rothner is countersuing and seeking damages, accusing Mr Waterhouse of refusing to sign off on development applications he claims have delayed renovations. The matter is listed for a directions hearing before Justice Pike of the Supreme Court on July 18. In 2019, Mr Waterhouse feuded with his neighbours at a $3.5million apartment in Darling Point, arguing their 'yapping' cavoodle, Fifi, was defecating on the harbourfront lawn. His neighbour, Fay Cohen, the wife of master magician 'Black Jack' Garry Cohen, applied for an apprehended violence order against Mr Waterhouse. The AVO was dismissed by a magistrate in September 2019. Two years before that, he lost a separate court battle over the height of trees planted at the colonial-era manor in Elizabeth Bay he shared with his then-wife, Janette. Mr Waterhouse agreed to trim the cypress trees to within 40cm of the garage roof's height after his neighbour insisted her view of the harbour had been impacted. Acting Commissioner of the Land and Environment Court David Galwey sided with the neighbour, ruling the tree needed to be pruned at least once a year.
Daily Mail
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Unbelievable feud breaks out over VERY trivial footpath matter in ritzy suburb
Advertisement-plastered bus stops have caused some of Australia's most well-off residents to melt down. Locals in Sydney 's Rose Bay have exploded at their council for installing more than 30 new bus stop shelters around the suburb. The shelters in themselves don't seem to be the problem, however, rather locals have taken issue with the 'giant advertising screen' featured on the side of each one. The large advertisements detract from the natural beauty of the suburb's promenade, argued Deanna Mastellone on Facebook. 'It is absolutely ridiculous. Woollahra Council placing this giant advertising screen outside the Wintergarden, blocking this very busy footpath which is enjoyed by so many,' she said. But Woollahra Council defended its decision to place the money-spinning ads across every bus shelter in the district. A spokesperson for the council said the revenue it raised from these ads helps pay for vital services that assist the entire community. The eye-sores incited a lively debate online where locals offered various takes on the matter. Ms Mastellone vowed to have the issue 'corrected' and had a particular problem with the fact that nobody in Rose Bay was even consulted prior to the rollout. 'It is an absolute disgrace Woollahra Council has signed up for 39 advertising bus shelters with zero community consultation,' she wrote. 'Such an ugly blight on our magnificent Rose Bay Promenade. 'This will be corrected, this is so very wrong.' Ms Mastellone compared her suburb to others in the city's east like Balmoral Beach, which has no bus shelter ads, and Mosman Council which has 22. Before installing its ads Mosman Council at least 'engaged with the entire community', Ms Mastellone said. The ticked-off local even filed a complaint with Woollahra Council's Audit, Risk and Innovation external committee in her quest to have the shelters' ads removed. 'I am not against bus shelters, we must protect and preserve our streetscape and ensure all the community is engaged in the placement of them,' she wrote. Those who chimed into the debate had mixed opinions with some agreeing, but others claiming Ms Mastellone was making a fuss over nothing. 'Rain protection and advertising revenue to keep your council rates lower. What's the issue?' one said. 'Perhaps think of the seniors waiting for a bus who appreciate having somewhere to sit while they wait,' another wrote. Those who did agree with Ms Mastellone found even more reasons to complain. 'No proper access for wheelchairs and mobility aids to pass by and no alerts for vision-impaired members of the community to safely navigate around,' one said. 'These are disgusting eyesores around Rose Bay, I agree,' a second agreed. But despite all the upraor, Woollahra Council said the shelters were here to stay. 'They provide excellent shelter and shade for commuters,' a spokesperson told Yahoo News. 'Each site was assessed to ensure the shelters were placed safely and appropriately and notifications were issued to nearby residents and businesses, providing opportunity for feedback.'
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Footpath spat erupts in one of Australia's priciest suburbs: 'Ridiculous'
A bitter debate has erupted among residents living in one of Australia's most expensive suburbs, following the local council's decision to install over 30 new bus stop shelters around the area. A woman from Sydney's Eastern Suburbs described one shelter as a "giant advertising screen", saying that she believes it's visually intrusive and detracts from the natural beauty of the Rose Bay promenade. She claimed there was "zero community consultation" on the rollout of the shelters and pointed to Mosman Council's approach, which reportedly involved full community engagement and accommodation of objections before installing 22 shelters. The woman also raised safety and accessibility concerns about the Wintergarden stop — described as Rose Bay's "most exclusive and prestigious apartment complex" — claiming the placement forces pedestrians "to walk single file" on an otherwise heavily trafficked footpath. "It is absolutely ridiculous, Woollahra Council placing this giant advertising screen outside the Wintergarden, blocking this very busy footpath which is enjoyed by so many," she blasted. "So many use this footpath commuting to the Rose Bay ferry, walking to the fabulous updated children's playground in Lynne Park and enjoying the magnificent Rose Bay promenade walk. This is so very wrong. We must protect and preserve our streetscape and ensure that the community is engaged in the placement of these bus shelters." Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, a spokesperson for Woollahra Council explained that the featured advertising helped pay for the shelters and "contributes to the cost of providing essential services" to the community. "They provide excellent shelter and shade for commuters," they said. But locals continued to argue online about their placement. "Rain protection and advertising revenue to keep your council rates lower. What's the issue?" a local said. "Perhaps think of the seniors waiting for a bus who appreciate having somewhere to sit while they wait," another woman weighed in. "However, I totally agree that the size of the screen is absurd. It makes no sense to have it that wide." Another asked: "I wonder what the disability council has to say about these?" "No proper access for wheelchairs and mobility aids to pass by and no alerts for vision-impaired members of the community to safely navigate around," they said. One woman echoed the original poster's sentiment. "These are disgusting eyesores around Rose Bay, I agree," she said. For its part, Woollahra Council said that before the commencement of all installations, "each site was assessed to ensure the shelters were placed safely and appropriately". Coles shopper fumes over 'cruel' find in rubbish bin outside store Chicken shop's 'bonkers' pest control plan sparks intense backlash Elderly man caught allegedly keying Tesla in affluent Aussie suburb "And notifications were issued to nearby residents and businesses, providing opportunity for feedback," they stated. "Further site assessments were then conducted and modifications considered, based on concerns raised through this process." Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
The Age
29-05-2025
- General
- The Age
A literal swag of spoils
Rob Baxter's (C8) canine feculence concerns (C8), reminded Michael Payne of West Pymble of 'a petite friend of mine who was the victim of a bag snatch while walking her dog. She had trouble containing herself as her old handbag was used to contain her doggie do.' 'Carrying a full poo bag is a badge of honour,' asserts Robert Hosking of Paddington. 'It says: 'I did not leave that poo on the pavement. That was some other irresponsible person. I am a responsible dog owner!' And a call-out to Woollahra Council for providing not only plenty of bins, but poo bag dispensers on those bins.' Meanwhile, we await plaudits from Andrew Taubman of Queens Park for not calling it 'Poop'. 'An ABC TV newsreader blithely reported that the 'Sydney Surf Club' had torpedoed the proposed Rosehill Racecourse sale,' notes Jim Dewar of Davistown. 'Must've been a board decision then ...' 'Cracker night (C8) was Empire Day, and we had half-day off school to build the bonfire and sort out our crackers; tom thumbs, double bungers, sparklers, catherine wheels and skyrockets,' writes Judy Jones of Thornleigh. 'One particular cracker night, one of the lads had the bright idea of putting a smouldering log in the tray of his ute, and we piled in with it. We drove the neighbourhood, lighting and throwing penny bungers over the side. We put the chooks off laying and the cows gave no milk for a few days. The innocence of childhood!' For letter box annihilation, Michael Johnston of Corlette thinks bigger is better: 'Thunders were much more effective than tuppenny bungers when attempting to destroy a letter box on cracker night …….. so I'm told.' 'My father was a GP, and he typically had a red lamp on the wall outside his surgery,' says Libby Cameron of Newport. 'The night before cracker night, he would remove the costly panel of red glass on which his name was inscribed – he knew too well the temptation for local youngsters to pop a double bunger into the lamp. I'm delighted to say the lovely lamp is still standing as a decoration in our daughter's garden.' Peter Riley of Penrith sees an election strategy in all this: 'Ever since they tried to conscript me into the Vietnam War, voting Liberal has been verboten, but if Sussie and her new libs promise to reinstate cracker night, then I'm in!'
Sydney Morning Herald
29-05-2025
- General
- Sydney Morning Herald
A literal swag of spoils
Rob Baxter's (C8) canine feculence concerns (C8), reminded Michael Payne of West Pymble of 'a petite friend of mine who was the victim of a bag snatch while walking her dog. She had trouble containing herself as her old handbag was used to contain her doggie do.' 'Carrying a full poo bag is a badge of honour,' asserts Robert Hosking of Paddington. 'It says: 'I did not leave that poo on the pavement. That was some other irresponsible person. I am a responsible dog owner!' And a call-out to Woollahra Council for providing not only plenty of bins, but poo bag dispensers on those bins.' Meanwhile, we await plaudits from Andrew Taubman of Queens Park for not calling it 'Poop'. 'An ABC TV newsreader blithely reported that the 'Sydney Surf Club' had torpedoed the proposed Rosehill Racecourse sale,' notes Jim Dewar of Davistown. 'Must've been a board decision then ...' 'Cracker night (C8) was Empire Day, and we had half-day off school to build the bonfire and sort out our crackers; tom thumbs, double bungers, sparklers, catherine wheels and skyrockets,' writes Judy Jones of Thornleigh. 'One particular cracker night, one of the lads had the bright idea of putting a smouldering log in the tray of his ute, and we piled in with it. We drove the neighbourhood, lighting and throwing penny bungers over the side. We put the chooks off laying and the cows gave no milk for a few days. The innocence of childhood!' For letter box annihilation, Michael Johnston of Corlette thinks bigger is better: 'Thunders were much more effective than tuppenny bungers when attempting to destroy a letter box on cracker night …….. so I'm told.' 'My father was a GP, and he typically had a red lamp on the wall outside his surgery,' says Libby Cameron of Newport. 'The night before cracker night, he would remove the costly panel of red glass on which his name was inscribed – he knew too well the temptation for local youngsters to pop a double bunger into the lamp. I'm delighted to say the lovely lamp is still standing as a decoration in our daughter's garden.' Peter Riley of Penrith sees an election strategy in all this: 'Ever since they tried to conscript me into the Vietnam War, voting Liberal has been verboten, but if Sussie and her new libs promise to reinstate cracker night, then I'm in!'
