Tycoon to fight on as $140m Sydney mansion knocked back

Tycoon Leon Kamenev has vowed to retain the contemporary design for a $140m mansion despite it being rejected.

Homes will be demolished to make way for the mansion.

Ukrainian multi-millionaire Leon Kamenev has vowed to retain the contemporary mansion design prepared by South African and Australian architects for his $80 million amalgamated Sydney harbourfront site, despite the $140m project’s rejection by a planning court.

The design was rejected by Woollahra Council and the Land and Environment Court because of its “inequitable monopolisation of harbour views in the locality”.

Mr Kamenev declined to comment further to The Australian but the Menulog co-founder clearly has no plans to resurrect his previous approach for the Cooyong Road site, a mansion in the style of a French chateau, which received planning approval last year.

The chateau plan has since been described by the Land and Environment Court as a “stylistically confused Beaux arts exuberance”. The court said the contemporary design better fulfilled the desired character of the Vaucluse West precinct.

“We were very pleased with the comprehensive two-day hearing undertaken by commissioner Susan O’Neill that included a ­detailed view-impact assessment from the affected houses,” Coo­yong Road resident David Kingston said yesterday.

“I expect that the applicant (Mr Kamenev) will proceed with a lower height-modified form of his new modern design.

“It is unlikely he would revert to his previous French chateau design as that would not appeal to the billionaire Asian buyers. Hence the value of the French chateau design is likely to be $20m or so lower than the expected $140m value of the modern ­design.”

It is estimated that Mr Kam­enev has spent at least $500,000 on the contemporary design, ­em­ploy­ing architects in South ­Africa and Australia.

Other costs include holding costs on the site, which is an amalgamation of four house sites, as well as hiring engineers, planners, lawyers and barristers to argue its merits.

Court documents reveal Mr Kamenev’s contemporary mansion proposal includes a ground-floor gym, as well as guest accommodation and a cellar. There is a pool, cinema, garages, living areas and a study.

Mr Kamenev amalgamated the four house sites in 2016.

He will demolish all four ­houses and swimming pools across the site to build the mansion, which is ­expected to be the nation’s most expensive on completion.