A billionaire advertising mogul is locked in a fight with Sydney City Council over plans to develop his $45 million waterfront property.
David Droga, a 54-year-old Australian living in New York, and his wife Marisa broke East Coast property price records when they bought the 1,100-square-metre 1920s brick house overlooking Tamarama Beach in Sydney’s east in May last year.
They have since demolished the century-old Californian bungalow, formerly known as Lang Syne, and commissioned celebrated architect Luigi Rosselli to draw up plans for a new mansion.
But Waverley Council rejected the design, forcing Droga (the chief executive of marketing agency Accenture Song) and his wife to take their case to the Land and Environment Court, the The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
The new design features “cocoon”-shaped structures made from repurposed sandstone, brick and slate, with four bedrooms, all with en-suite bathrooms, a kitchen, a formal dining room, a sunken living room and a library.
The property would also include a central ‘solarium’ with an underground garage, bicycle and sports equipment storage, art storage, gym and internal elevator.
‘The overall brief given by David and Marisa was simple: to design a family home worthy of such a special and stunning location,’ reads the architect’s website.
‘Something beautiful and organic that exists in harmony with its natural surroundings and its occupants.
Lang Syne (pictured) which overlooked Sydney’s Tamarama Beach before it was demolished
David Droga and his wife Marisa (pictured) broke property records when they purchased the 1,100-square-metre home for $45 million.
‘The aim is to preserve the organic beauty of the site, with its wind-carved rocks, through an organic plan with a counterpoint play of eroded horizontal slabs and cocoon-shaped vertical breaks.’
Although residents had previously criticised the planned construction, there was only one public presentation recorded before the council on the proposal, which was positive.
In the presentation via a heritage report, architect Zoltan Kovac recommended and praised the design saying: “If this project is not an exemplary and outstanding response to a significant natural environment, then I don’t know what is.”
The city council had initially requested more information, which was not provided, before rejecting the proposal.
The matter, which was heard before Deputy Recorder Elizabeth Orr last week, remains before the courts and a decision has not yet been issued.
Lang Syne, a four-bedroom, two-bathroom house, was occupied for 64 years by Dimity Griffiths and her husband Harry, a comedian and radio star, along with their four children.
Pictured: An artist’s impression of the house the Drogases are looking to build on the site.
The couple hoped to have their new home overlooking Tamarama Beach completed by 2026.
If given the green light, the new residence dubbed Tamarama Headland Sea Change will be Australia’s most expensive beachfront property.
The couple paid £9,750 for the property, about $18,000 in today’s money, not adjusted for inflation.
Lang Syne was on the market for seven months before Droga made what he later described as a “wonderfully irresponsible” purchase early last year.
“I always thought it was the best ground in Sydney,” he told AdNews in October.
“When it came out, the stars were aligned and I felt like I had done something wonderfully irresponsible.”
The Drogas currently live in Manhattan, where they have raised four children.
Speaking to AFR in October, Mr Droga said the family rents properties when they visit Australia each Christmas and he wanted to buy a residence they could stay in.
While the family intends to continue living abroad, Mr. Droga said he imagines staying at the Tamarama property “for months at a time” once he retires.
Australian advertising guru David Droga, 54, said the property would be a family holiday home.
Droga has become a billionaire thanks to his successful advertising business Droga5, which he founded in Australia in 2006 and sold in 2019 for $650 million.
Accenture bought the company and Mr. Droga became chief executive of the global IT and consulting giant.
Throughout his 30-plus-year career to the top of advertising, Mr. Dope, who likes to call himself the “Dingo of Wall Street,” has worked with the likes of former U.S. President Barack Obama, Beyoncé and the United Nations.
She grew up in Perisher Valley in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales before moving to Sydney, then Singapore and London.
He landed in New York in 2003 to head the billion-dollar advertising agency.