Myer family takes on sushi queen over Toorak mansion extension

1 week ago 14

Planning disputes betwixt neighbours tin often descend into bitterness, name-calling and rancour.

But successful Toorak, things are done differently. Take the lawsuit of the disagreement implicit an hold to a practice mansion pitting self-made wealthiness against aged money.

Chiverton astatine 39 Irving Road successful Toorak.

On 1 broadside of the obstruction is entrepreneur sushi queen Anna Kasman; connected the different is 1 of Melbourne’s premier blue-blood families, the Myers.

For the past fewer years, the 2 person owned adjoining properties successful Toorak, aft Kasman bought the historic Chiverton manor and property connected Irving Road successful 2021 for much than $30 million.

Next doorway is the location of Sarah Myer, the Myer household matriarch who is aged successful her 80s and the widow of Baillieu “Bails” Myer, the lad of the section store laminitis Sidney Myer. The household has owned the location since the 1950s.

But it doesn’t substance if it’s Toorak oregon Thomastown, an statement implicit a renovation tin inactive extremity up successful the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

Anna Kasman, who made her luck from the Sushi Sushi chain.

Kasman’s program to adhd a modern summation to her practice location is present nether menace aft Stonnington approved the exertion but the Myers objected.

Earlier this week, the 2 parties, via their representatives, had a mediation league astatine VCAT successful an effort to resoluteness the matter.

Kasman, an Indonesian expat who made her luck from the Sushi Sushi takeaway chain, is nary alien to the 3142 postcode.

Australia’s insatiable appetite for California rolls helped bargain her erstwhile spot successful Grosvenor Court – a “neo-neo Georgian” location presently listed for merchantability astatine much than $15 million – successful 2008.

Kasman sold 94 per cent of the Sushi Sushi concern for $48 cardinal successful 2019. She has since launched Sushi Jiro, a much upscale offering besides recovered successful buying centres. On her website, she describes herself arsenic a “sushi architect”.

The projected works of her caller spot acquisition see the partial demolition of the archetypal French Mediterranean mansion built successful 1928 to retrofit an interior layout.

Kasman besides wants to sound down portion of the mansion’s servant quarters and instal a strikingly modern hold implicit the apical that would look precise antithetic to the remainder of the house.

The full outgo of the renovation is expected to beryllium astir $5 million.

Kasman’s spot includes a tennis tribunal and swimming pool.

“In presumption of plan and materiality, the enactment is simply a highly disposable modern element, readily identifiable arsenic a caller structure,” the exertion states.

“Acknowledging this, the high-quality and contextual materials palette would mean the interaction of the two-storey signifier and let the practice gathering to stay the ascendant ocular element.”

Natural grey timber battens would beryllium utilized arsenic cladding to “soften the bulk” of the extension, according to the architects.

In November, the City of Stonnington issued a announcement of determination to assistance a licence for the works, which provided an accidental for immoderate residents to entreaty to VCAT.

Ad antheral Peter Clemenger, who lives nearby, was shown the drawings but chose not to lodge an objection.

“I thought it was an bonzer happening to beryllium doing,” helium said.

“I didn’t similar the colour they were using, it was a elephantine achromatic feature. Apart from that, it was OK.”

An entreaty was lodged by Elgee Park Pty Ltd, the Myers’ concern company. Elgee Park is besides the sanction of the family’s winery connected the Mornington Peninsula.

Plans for Anna Kasman’s renovation, which has ended up successful VCAT.

The objection, which took purpose astatine the proposal’s “visual dominance”, was signed by the company’s main executive, Andrew McCarthy. He highlighted the extension’s setbacks of conscionable implicit 2 metres from Grant Avenue and 3½ metres from the Myer property.

“We person superior concerns with the location, bulk and quality of the projected works connected the quality and quality of adjacent residence and important practice place,” helium wrote.

When this masthead made enquiries astir the neighbourly dispute, representatives for the 2 owners downplayed its seriousness and reiterated the tendency for privateness of each involved.

On Saturday morning, this masthead was unexpectedly patched into a league telephone with McCarthy, speaking connected behalf of the Myers, on with Kasman’s architect, Travis Walton, and her spot lawyer, Mark Naughton.

“Both parties are precise comfy with the mode this substance is progressing,” McCarthy said.

“We are down to colours and materials aren’t we?” Naughton asked.

“And a small spot of a caressing of a broadside setback,” helium added.

The VCAT enactment was expected to beryllium withdrawn wrong weeks, they said.

If the entreaty fails to settee arsenic claimed, it volition beryllium heard connected July 26 and 29.

Both properties are included successful a Toorak practice overlay arsenic important residences.

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