High flyer fighting council over Ascot mansion’s lavish renovation
A millionaire Queensland businessman is in trouble with his local council after being accused of overstepping the mark when overhauling his historic $4 million mansion.
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A millionaire Queensland businessman is in hot water with his local council which has accused him of overstepping the mark on major renovations to his historic $4 million mansion.
Declan Andrew Sherman, 43, from Ascot, the managing director of Brisbane-based stockmarket-listed contract-staffing company People Infrastructure, was slapped with an enforcement notice by Brisbane City Council last month after two show-cause notices in June and July.
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The enforcement notice alleged Mr Sherman had committed a development offence, and demanded he remove the section of his custom orb metal sheeting roof which is visible from the street, and replace it with terracotta tiles similar to those removed from the Ascot house or lodge a fresh development application by Sunday seeking retrospective approval for the renovation work.
The Kitchener Rd mansion has been raised and built underneath to create another floor of living space, and has been shifted forward on the block so it sits closer to the street with less of a setback than before, court documents state.
Mr Sherman’s town planner told the council that the shifting and raising of the house was “accepted development”.
The council’s enforcement notice claims that Mr Sherman, a St Joseph’s Gregory Terrace old boy and UQ finance graduate, did not have development approval to remove the terracotta tiles from the six-bedroom classic Californian bungalow home built in 1928 and sitting in a “character residential” zone.
The council is also claiming the corporate high-flyer’s partial demolition of the home on millionaire’s row is greater than what was approved.
Mr Sherman paid $3.6 million for the home on three blocks on a prestigious tree-lined in January and it came with development approval to demolish parts of it.
Details of the stoush over the massive renovation project were revealed in the Planning and Environment Court in Brisbane earlier this month when Mr Sherman filed a legal bid to overturn council’s enforcement notice.
Mr Sherman alleges the renovation work he has already carried out is either already approved by the council or is not assessable development.
He also claims the council has made factual and legal errors in ruling that the metal roof should be replaced with traditional terracotta tiles.
Mr Sherman’s neighbour is architect Joe Adsett who lives in a newly built ultra-modern trophy home which is set to feature on Grand Designs Australia, and fashion designer Keri Craig-Lee also owns a home across the road.
Brisbane-born deal-maker Mr Sherman owns about 10 per cent of People Infrastructure, which has a market cap of $300 million and provides contract nurses, childcare workers and aged care workers.
On his website Mr Sherman boasts that he “has a distinguished history in investing in and managing companies”and says he began at the millionaire’s factory Macquarie Group.
He moved to New York in 2005, initially working for Macquarie then for his own private equity company Everlight where he moved to Brazil to set up specialised fitness studios called Studio Velocity.
Mr Sherman also owns a four-bedroom house at Peregian Beach on the Sunshine Coast.
He bought it five years ago for $1.15 million.
Mr Sherman did not return phone calls and emails seeking comment yesterday.
No court date has been set for the hearing.
