MasterChef Australia’s George Calombaris in fight with neighbour over gym

A NEIGHBOURHOOD stoush in posh Toorak has been brewing over a gym in celebrity chef George Calombaris’s backyard, which an angry neighbour calls a “hideous black box”.

EXCLUSIVE: MASTERCHEF judge George Calombaris has cooked up a neighbourhood stoush in toffy Toorak with his outdoor gym.

Neighbour Helen Elsworth has lodged a complaint with the Victorian Building Authority over the “hideous black box” which recently appeared in the backyard of Calombaris’s home, which is owned by his wife Natalie Tricarico.

She told the Herald Sun last night the structure was legal and had consent from neighbours. But Ms Elsworth believes it breaches regulations and wants it torn down.

“He’s the worst neighbour I’ve had in my life,” the 71-year-old said.

“He should be living in Central Australia somewhere, where he can’t bother people, not in the suburbs.”

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Helen Elsworth is not happy with the view from her Toorak bedroom. Picture: David Caird

The backyard gym. Picture: David Caird

According to a work notice, the outbuilding — which is just centimetres from the fence line — is designed to be “a self-­contained small gym”.

Ms Tricarico said only one objection was received but after a full briefing on the plans, that objection was withdrawn and Stonnington council approved the permit.

Calombaris lost a reported 20kg in 2013, which he attributed to healthy eating, exercising and working out at a gym.

A garden and trees were removed from Calombaris’s backyard to allow for construction of the single-level ­building, meaning Ms Elsworth can look directly into the home of the MasterChef judge from her bedroom.

Natalie Tricarico and George Calombaris. Picture: Julie Kiriacoudis

An angry Ms Elsworth, whose unit backs directly on to Calombaris’s backyard, said she had lived there for 33 years and had always got on famously with her neighbours.

But she said “rude” George Calombaris had made no attempt to inform her personally of his building plans.

She said Ms Tricarico had spoken to her once about the building, telling her she could paint the new fence if she wanted to improve the view from her bedroom window.

Ms Tricarico said: “We have also continued to ensure our neighbours who share a land boundary with us were kept informed of the progress of the construction works — as we were required to do — and those neighbours have expressed no issue with the construction or the process that took place.”

A legal letter to the building surveyor who issued the building permit claims the permit may be in breach of the Building Act because Ms Elsworth was not served with the ­requisite work notice 14 days before the permit was issued, among other technical oversights.

Despite an assurance in the work notice that fences would not be removed, the boundary fence between Cal­ombaris’s property and Ms Elsworth’s property had indeed been removed and replaced, the legal letter states.

The VBA said an assessment officer would investigate.

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