Meriton chief Harry Triguboff issues fresh development warning

The delays in getting enough parking for his new units highlight problems in the planning system, the billionaire property developer said.

Sydney apartment tsar Harry Triguboff has fired a broadside at planning authorities for not doing enough to solve the housing crisis after he won a battle to put more parking into one of his latest Sydney towers.

The nonagenarian billionaire has been outspoken about delays in the NSW planning system, criticising multi-year decision-making time frames and shifting his focus to building new towers in Queensland.

But he had a win against authorities over one of his latest buildings in the northwestern Sydney suburb of Epping, where the NSW Land and Environment Court has allowed him to put more parking into a new tower.

Despite his unhappiness with planners, the developer is still completing thousands of units at a time when many of his smaller rivals are unable to secure pre-sales and bank finance, and the new build-to-rent industry is yet to take off in Sydney.

Mr Triguboff called his court win against Parramatta council a “major victory”. After purchasing the site from industrial property landlord Goodman, Meriton reviewed plans and saw that the development lacked the necessary parking for its planned 30-storey mixed-use building.

“It is clear that more and more people want to live in apartments, but when council imposes conditions which go against the market then we have an obligation to fight for what is right. Our buyers and renters rely on their cars. Some use them during the week, others may only use them on the weekends, so to assume hundreds of residents would move into a building with inadequate parking is naive,” Mr Triguboff said.

Meriton’s proposal to increase parking numbers faced resistance from the council, which was willing to allow only 220 car spaces for the building which will have 204 residential units, retail, office and a childcare centre.

The court last week ruled in favour of Meriton and agreed that it was entitled to the 299 car spaces sought, following the drawn-out year-long legal battle against Parramatta council.

Mr Triguboff said he was happy with the court’s decision.

“Actually, the council rules only allowed a number of car spaces, which the council was prepared to approve. However, the rules were out of date and the court agreed with us that the number had to be increased. This is a very important victory because developers must understand that if the rules are out of date, they can stand on their rights and they will win,” he said.

The combative billionaire said councils needed to help increase unit production instead of fighting against it. “They are doing nothing to increase the unit production; instead they are slowing it down. We fought for 80 parking spaces for a year,” he said.

Mr Triguboff has said that even though NSW is facing a significant housing shortage, he is building fewer apartments now because of Department of Planning push backs and delays.