Apartment tsar billionaire Harry Triguboff will keep chasing plans for a major development at Little Bay

Developer Harry Triguboff says a 1900 apartment project would breathe new life into a suburb that has just ‘four golf courses, a neglected beach, housing commission and a prison falling apart’. But concerned locals are having none of it.

Billionaire developer Harry Triguboff vows to keep fighting a local Sydney council until he gets his Little Bay development, which boasts nearly 2000 apartments, over the line.

Fresh from yet another knock-back at Little Bay, Triguboff argues that if his Meriton Group was given the green light to develop 1900 apartments at the beachside suburb it would bring a wealth of much-needed infrastructure to the area.

Meriton has been refused permission to develop in Little Bay, 17km south of the Sydney CBD, at least three times following resident objections but Mr Triguboff has previously said he will not stop in his pursuit of a large scale development in the sleepy beachside suburb which he reckons is prime for a major redevelopment.

“I don’t agree with their rules,” said Mr Triguboff, Australia’s most prolific private developer and worth $24bn.

“A few people living in Little Bay are trying to stop me from building. All they have there are four golf courses, a neglected beach, housing commission and a prison falling apart. I represent thousands of people who want to lease and live there, but my future people have no voice. Only a couple of hundred people are all screaming. And frightening the politicians.”

Mr Triguboff argued that the scale of his Meriton projects had the capacity to spark further developments in the area.

“Believe me if I build there what I build everywhere else the prices will rise, the transport will come, schools, childminding and supermarkets will appear. Transport comes after me.”

Meriton’s Little Bay proposed site.

Mr Triguboff said the government won’t do anything regarding infrastructure until he puts people into a suburb.

He said the Sydney suburb of Dee Why got their special buses after Meriton developed unit blocks, while other Sydney suburbs such as Rosebery, Zetland got freeways after the developer built in those areas. “Homebush will get the tram after me. I built in Ryde for 35 years, non-stop. And it has become such a great centre.”

Despite his years of battles with local and state government planning authorities, Mr Triguboff said he now sees a glimmer of hope with councils and state planning departments.

“We all hope that the new NSW Premier Chris Minns will have some luck in getting units built without bankruptcies.

Harry Triguboff argued that the scale of his Meriton projects had the capacity to spark further developments in the area. Picture: Gaye Gerard

“Already some councils have new town planners and mayors who are much better.”

Meanwhile, Mr Triguboff, who develops in NSW and Queensland, said it was difficult for him to understand why the properties in Sydney and the Gold Coast are so cheap.

“They should go up a lot in price because we have such little stock, the prices have not risen much (if we forget about the Covid-19 period), the rents are strong.”

Originally published as Apartment tsar billionaire Harry Triguboff will keep chasing plans for a major development at Little Bay