Lindsay Fox draws a line in sand

LINDSAY Fox has angered Portsea locals by grabbing a slice of land in front of his beachside mansion, sparking an investigation.

Lindsay Fox's Portsea mansion towers over the helipad and boathouse. Picture: Mark Smith

BILLIONAIRE trucking magnate Lindsay Fox has angered Portsea locals by grabbing a slice of land in front of his beachside mansion, sparking a State Government investigation.

In the latest salvo in a long-running war over the Point King beach, the Linfox boss has moved the fenceline in front of his luxurious boathouse forward an estimated 8m.

Mr Fox has title over the land down to the waters of Port Phillip Bay, but despite the long-running fight the exact boundary has never been tested in court.

Officers of the Department of Sustainability and Environment, which is responsible for beaches, inspected the site on Wednesday.

But DSE is unlikely to take action because the fence is above the high-water mark and inspectors do not believe it encroaches on crown land.

Mr Fox has built a new brush fence and planted trees on the beach side of the fence.

The move enlarges the grassy beachfront area that Mr Fox uses to land his helicopter when he visits his $20 million mansion on the clifftop above.

"Maybe he's going to land an airplane there rather than a helicopter," an angry neighbour said.

During the decade-long stoush with neighbours and beachlovers Mr Fox has marked his claim to ownership of land down to the high-water mark by planting she-oaks and installing a chain-link fence.

He has so far been stymied by opponents who say the beach, popular with families, is Crown land that should be open to the public.

The she-oaks, together with bollards supporting the chain-link fence, were lopped in an early morning attack in May 1999.

In 2000 Mr Fox was embroiled in a planning stoush over the boathouse, with then planning minister John Thwaites ordering it reduced in size.

But Mr Fox had a win in 2003 when the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal overturned a Mornington Peninsula Shire council decision banning him from landing his helicopter at the Merrylands Ave property. High-profile opponents of Mr Fox on the beach issue included neighbour Kate Baillieu, sister of opposition leader Ted Baillieu.

Ms Baillieu declined to comment yesterday.

It is believed the new fence was put up about six months ago and some of the neighbours have also moved their fencelines.

A spokesman for Environment Minister Gavin Jennings said DSE inspectors had "conducted a number of recent inspections of this property, including on Wednesday and in October 2009".

"These inspections found that the property fenceline is several metres landward of the high water mark and not encroaching on Crown land," he said.

The minister can order a full survey to determine whether the fence is in the correct location.

Linfox spokesman Ari Suss said the company would not comment. on the issue.