Hpone Thaung: Vaucluse mansion plans in Olphert Avenue
The latest in a long line of multi millionaires to own this Vaucluse mansion has some big renovation plans in mind.
Wentworth Courier
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Luxury property developer Hpone Thaung is making himself at home, lodging a half million dollar development application to extensively renovate the Vaucluse mansion he recently bought from the former owner of Bavarian Bier Cafés.
Mr Thaung bought the sprawling 1226m block on Olphert Ave for $13 million in November from restaurateur John Szangolies and his wife Heather.
The Szangolies, who in turn had purchased the elegant home in 2010 for $8.75 million from prominent investment manager Morris Symonds, made around $200 million when they sold Urban Purveyor Group to private equity giant Quadrant in 2015.
The hospitality juggernaut also included top restaurants such as Sake, Ananas Brasserie, the Cut and Swine & Co.
Mr Thaung wants to reconfigure and extend all three floors, knocking down walls and installing special touches such as a new pergola, butler pantry, car stacker and lift.
The already spacious six bedroom home boasts an existing tennis court and swimming pool.
The discreet entry on Olphert Ave will change slightly with most of the $552,000 proposed works taking place internally.
While the proposal is largely compliant with Woollahra Council’s Development Control Plan, there are a handful of minor breaches with regards to the floorplate and wall height – although the overall building height is level with the 9.5m limit.
However, the extension does mean the proposal doesn’t meet council’s regulations with regards to deep soil landscaping and private open space.
In good news for the neighbours, the finished product, designed by Antoniades Architects, is not likely to impact on them.
“Overall, the proposal will create minimal additional overshadowing to the neighbouring properties,” read the documents prepared by Gary Shiels and Associates.
The expansion to the mansion, which boasts views of the harbour and Vaucluse and Parsley Bays, is unlikely to impact on the views of neighbouring homes.
The Wentworth Courier gave Mr Thaung the opportunity to comment on the DA but he did not respond prior to publication.