Vaucluse: US tech entrepreneur clashes with high-profile neighbours over “excessive” $3m reno
A US tech entrepreneur’s home renovation plans sparked backlash from a raft of high-profile neighbours, including stockbroker Angus Aitkin and outgoing ACCC boss Rod Sims.
Wentworth Courier
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A US tech entrepreneur has received the green light to build a four-storey waterfront mansion in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, despite a barrage of complaints from his neighbours who claimed the building’s excessive size would overwhelm the street.
Ethan Oberman, an American software and movie theatre entrepreneur who now lives with his Australian-born wife in Sydney, lodged a $3.2 million development application to demolish the existing building and construct a new house at 44 Hopetoun Ave, Vaucluse.
Before it was approved earlier this week, a who’s who of Sydney’s most prominent names slammed the plans, claiming the “bulky” and “excessive” design of the home was so extreme it would block out the sun and encroach on their harbour views.
The approved plans will see the construction of a cavernous steel, stone and wood structure which will tower over the street, including basement car parking, a swimming pool and cabana, along with extensive landscaping of the block.
The mansion will cover 731 sqm including five bedrooms, a large library, an au pair’s room, a gym and home office, as well as a pool with a cabana, outdoor sauna and steam room.
Mr Oberman – who lodged the plans to Woollahra Council with his wife Rachel – has a history of bold and divisive renovations in the eastern suburbs.
A unique concrete, steel and wood five-bedroom house built by Mr Oberman in Double Bay sold for a whopping $9,725,000 at auction last February, well above expectations.
The buyers guide for the home had been $8 million due to its dramatic design and eclectic layout, however the home smashed the previous street record by more than $3 million during the pandemic buying frenzy.
The approval process for the Vaucluse mansion included an extensive consultation period with residents, which resulted in a flood of objections and a single letter of support.
Included among the objectors were the former chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) Rod Sims and his wife, international law academic Dr Alison Pert.
Another complaint came from Sarah Aitkin, wife of prominent Sydney stockbroker Angus Aitkin.
One objection had contended the proposal “comprises a boxy contemporary extension, which would have an overbearing appearance” when viewed from neighbouring properties.
The shed-like architectural design of the home lent it “excessive visual bulk and scale” would have a “devastating impact” on access to sunlight for surrounding homes, it said.
“The proposal would result in unreasonable impacts to the outlook from 42 Hopetoun Ave, exacerbated by the concentration of building bulk … which would block the outlook, and view of the sky, particularly from the northern windows on the upper levels,” another objection put to council said.
The same objection suggested the “spectacular views to Parsley Bay and Sydney Harbour” enjoyed by the neighbour would be obscured by the proposed development.
In response to the concern of neighbours, modifications to the development application were lodged including turning a gabled roof into a flat roof to reduce height, along with increasing the home’s setback from the road.
Despite the objections, Woollahra Council approved the development on July 5 following a meeting of the Application Assessment Panel.
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