Calls to surround Oroton heir’s waterfront mansion in ‘sea of green space’ at Manly
A MULTIMILLION-dollar beachfront mansion owned by an heir to the Oroton fashion empire would be surrounded by a public reserve if a campaign by other Little Manly residents is successful.
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LITTLE Manly residents want council to turn the areas next to a beachfront mansion owned by an heir to the Oroton fashion empire into a public reserve.
The house is next to a council-owned property on one side and another council-owned property nearby. Both are rented out.
But local residents want to demolish the house to the east, and turn the heritage-listed cottage to the west into a public-use venue.
It would effectively make the mansion surrounded by public reserve.
But Ross Lane, who bought the mansion from his brother Tom for about $9 million this year, raised concerns about privacy.
And his brother Tom Lane argued the council should sell its remaining properties.
“They are cash-strapped anyway,” Tom Lane told the Manly Daily. “They have a multimillion-dollar property next door which is dilapidated and rented out for, in the scheme of things, peanuts. They could easily sell that on the open market.
“It has also been there for 100 years and they could sell that to help out 39,000 ratepayers, rather than a handful of people who want a view.”
The council is finalising the demolition of a neighbouring house to the west, where it has opened up a reserve and kayak storage area.
Ross Lane was yet to move into the home and said he did not “know the property well enough” yet, but hoped the council would be “sympathetic” to his family’s privacy.
“It depends how high the fence is. From our upstairs bedroom, looking over park might not be a bad thing,” Ross Lane said. “If the land is above our fence level and the people just peer in, that is not acceptable.”
Residents want the council to ensure the foreshore is not privatised in the future, Save Little Manly Foreshore Group president Jacqueline French said.
Former Manly councillor Hugh Burns was in support of the plans. The wish, said Mr Burns, would be to make the Lanes’ property like a “privately owned island in the sea of public park”.
Ross Lane said he had not been shown any plans to the effect of the foreshore group’s wishes, but added his property was freehold, not leased, unlike the surrounding properties.
“If I was an upside neighbour, the more grass in front of me the more valuable my property would be. I guess I understand why they want to do that,” Ross Lane said.
“I don’t think it is a wise spend of council’s money. I think they have better things to do. I am sure the council have enough fair-minded level-headed people to figure out how to spend their money.”
Ross Lane emphasised that he didn’t want any “confrontation” with his new neighbours. But his brother, Tom, who bought the property in 2007 called the plan “completely absurd”.
Tom Lane alleged that he and his family had been bullied by local residents wielding picket signs, abusing his children and even leaving them hate mail over the redevelopment of his property.
When it was bought in 2007, it was zoned open space, but Tom Lane got the house rezoned residential in the Land and Environment.
Tom Lane said those pushing to reclaim the land for public use were “a noisy few” who had a “vested interest” in opening up water views for themselves.
He said there was “more than enough public amenity” with the existing parkland and kiosk. Residents tried everything to get them to leave, including asking the council to resume 10m of the front of their home, he added.
But Mrs French said it was not about protecting water views, rather “maintaining the public ownership of the foreshore land which has always been open space since 1948”.
Last month, the foreshore group met council administrator Dick Persson to put their case.
Mr Burns said it was not about water views, but fear of losing public open space on the waterfront.
“The big apprehension is if there is a new council, they could sell all the property behind the beach for profit,” Mr Burns said.
The site has a tumultuous history, with the residents’ group taking the former Manly Council to the Land and Environment Court to stop the sale of land.
Little Manly Community Forum president Ray Mathieson said his committee was yet to discuss the plans.
But, he said “anything that would keep community open space for the public is a good thing”. Northern Beaches Council’s administrator Dick Persson said he had requested council staff to “look at the proposal and report back on the range of options.”
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