Harry Triguboff company Meriton sues Premier and government agencies over development delay

Australia’s biggest property developer has dropped an election-eve bombshell with his company suing the Premier and government agencies over a development “freeze” in Sydney’s north.

Frustrated Meriton owner Harry Triguboff is suing the government over development delays in Ryde.

• Crowded living 'unfair' to residents
• Meriton king talks up Parramatta bounce

Australia’s richest property developer, Harry Triguboff, has dropped an election-eve bombshell with his company suing Premier Gladys Berejiklian and other government agencies to get a controversial development in Sydney’s north approved.

The Times can exclusively reveal Meriton’s construction arm, Karimbla, has filed a summons in the NSW Land and Environment Court against the Premier, Planning Minister Anthony Roberts, Planning Department Secretary Carolyn McNally and the Greater Sydney Commission.

It relates to Meriton’s stalled plans for high-rise development at 112 Talavera Rd, Macquarie Park, and comes after the commission released a report last week which called for a planning freeze in Ryde for the next year — in the midst of a cooling market.

Harry Triguboff.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian.

The summons, listed for April 12, says the commission “does not have the function” to recommend the Premier stop major developments in Ryde for 12 months.

It demands Mr Roberts increase the floor-space ratio and height controls at the site, which would increase the number of apartments built on the Talavera Road site.
“Meriton’s proposal has already been approved by the government’s bodies,” Mr Triguboff said.

“It has been recognised as being entirely consistent with all of the government’s publicly stated planning strategies and policies.

“Those policies should not suddenly change because the seat of Ryde is in contention at the upcoming election. They can’t move the goalposts like that.

“These developments take years to plan and build. The whole industry needs some certainty that the rules at the start of the process are going to be the same at the end.”

Meriton’s proposal for 112 Talavera Road was lodged in May 2017 and had already been endorsed by the Department of Planning on behalf of the commission. Ryde Council took a stand against the proposal in early December, despite Meriton scaling down the building height from 63 storeys to 42.

Meriton’s revised Macquarie Park proposal which includes three 42-storey towers, down from the original plan of 63 storeys at 112 Talavera Road.

It came before the Premier secured the Planning Legislation Amendment (Greater Sydney Commission) Act 2018 last October, which introduced the concept of an “assurance report” for the first time.

Ms Berejiklian was accused of staging a “political fix” to get Ryde Liberal MP Victor Dominello re-elected after last week’s secret release of the report.

“The Premier has used the Greater Sydney Commission as a political football with this review, which is a damning report into the government’s approach to planning in Ryde,” Labor’s Planning spokeswoman Tania Mihailuk said.

“This was a review on the mandatory housing targets set by the commission. So the commission has basically investigated itself and didn’t bother to tell the taxpayers, who paid for the review, about its findings after consulting with them.

“It’s a political fix by the Premier to help her mate (Mr Dominello) get re-elected.”

Anti-development stance: State MP for Ryde and Minister for Finance Victor Dominello at the site of the proposed Meriton development late last year.

NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said the Coalition would “stand with local communities on keeping councils in check on this issue”.

“Under the Labor-led Ryde Council, led by Labor’s election candidate Jerome Laxale, development in Ryde has been allowed to get out of control,” he told News Corp.

“We are fixing the issue, following a review by the Greater Sydney Commission.

“We will of course let any legal action play out but I want to assure the local community that we are on their side.”

Mayor Laxale said he had called on the State Government to reject the Meriton proposal by December 31 after his council opposed it.

“The Liberals’ inaction has led to this legal challenge by Mr Triguboff and now who knows what will happen,” Cr Laxale said.

“Why didn’t the Liberals refuse this when they had the chance? After eight years of overdevelopment chaos, Victor Dominello and the Liberals cannot be trusted with planning in Ryde.”

Jerome Laxale and Labor leader Michael Daley promised earlier this month to save Marsden High and Meadowbank Public from being relocated if the ALP is elected on March 23.

Mr Triguboff said there were “$78 million worth of community benefits wrapped up in this deal” for the Talavera Rd development, including 27 affordable housing units “so that essential workers can live in the area, cash for roads, parks and sporting facilities”.

“The fact is that this is the right development in a significant area for NSW, the gateway to the northwest,” the property baron, 83, who is worth an estimated $12.77 billion, said.

“Why shouldn’t a young family be able to live closer to the city, next to hospitals, universities, train stations and shopping centres?

“Following public exhibition there were some 380 objections to the original proposal of up to 63 storeys, so Meriton amended its proposal and reduced the height to 42 storeys.

“What has now been submitted is much better than the one we’re already allowed to build.”

Mr Dominello said he had been “fighting against overdevelopment since being elected in 2008”.

“I will continue to fight for my community in Ryde. I will not back down,” he said.

Ms Berejiklian and the commission both declined to comment on the legal action by Meriton.