Mega-mansion spat

A PROPOSAL to build a three-storey mega-mansion in an up-market waterfront street already littered with million dollar properties has sparked a fight between neighbours so bad it’s ended in court.

Broadbeach Waters residents acting under the name Delasala Pty Ltd have gone to the Southport Planning and Environment Court to stop the 9m-high home being built on Monaco St, Broadbeach Waters claiming the plans were an “overdevelopment”.

The Gold Coast City Council in December last year granted Murray and Megan Chesser approval to build the home.

Plans approved for the building include a basement carpark with space for three cars and storage, five bedrooms, a media room and a games room.

An entertainment area would take up the entire partial third storey of the home.

Delasala have claimed the plans are not appropriate for the area.

“The proposed development constitutes an overdevelopment of the premises and does not warrant approval of any increase in height beyond the reasonable expectation of adjoining residents,” the court documents state.

The complaints listed in the documents included that the home will mean neighbours would lose solar access and have “unacceptable privacy impacts by the proximity of the proposed development’s third storey’s deck area”.

“(The proposed development) fails to promote a sense of community cohesion and wellbeing,” the documents said.

“(The proposed development) does not compliment the character or satisfactorily address impacts on the amenity and environment of the local area.”

The documents also claim the plans do not leave enough of a setback meaning the home would be too close to the property boundaries.

“The proposed setbacks … neither assist in the protection of adjacent amenity nor contribute to streetscape character …,” the documents state.

When the development application was first lodged, Delasala and other neighbours Glenn and Debbie Melville lodged objections against the plan, claiming the building was too large and high for the site.

The site of the proposed development, which currently has a single storey home, was sold for more than $2.8 million in 2019.

The home owned by Delasala was sold in 2009 for $3.9 million.

The City of Gold Coast and the Chessers are yet to lodge a response in court.