Jamie Durie dropped in to check out the latest work done on his sprawling six-storey waterfront mansion on Wednesday.
The 54-year-old celebrity landscaper was spotted at the construction site, which is located at Avalon Beach on Sydney’s northern beaches.
Wearing standard work attire, the former Backyard Blitz star donned navy blue trousers and a khaki shirt with a camo puffer jacket.
He trudged around outside the home in brown work boots.
Construction is finally well underway at the stunning location, one year after Durie managed to get his proposed build for a $2.7million home approved.
The multi-level cliffside property is covered in scaffolding and some walls of the home have been erected.
Jamie Durie dropped in to check out the latest work done on his sprawling six-storey waterfront mansion on Wednesday
The property is located at Avalon Beach on Sydney ‘s northern beaches
The landscaping guru was granted approval in April last year by the Northern Beaches Council over his development application (DA) for the waterfront property, despite receiving more than 50 objections from angry locals.
His plans to knock down a 1960s cottage and replace it with a sprawling six-storey mansion for his family was first met with opposition from neighbours who objected to the removal of 17 native trees.
Neighbours then had an issue with whether the home’s construction would impact the ecosystem of a local microbat colony.
The horticulturalist said in his 25 years of working in the industry, trying to get his renovation plans over the line was the biggest challenge he’d faced.
‘I can tell you right now, if you want to lodge a DA in Avalon it will be the most harrowing thing you have done in your life,’ Durie told The Daily Telegraph at the time.
Wearing standard work attire, the former Backyard Blitz star donned navy blue trousers and a khaki shirt with a camo puffer jacket
He trudged around outside the home in brown work boots
The horticulturalist said in his 25 years of working in the industry, trying to get his renovation plans over the line was the biggest challenge he’d faced
‘I have spoken to close to 20 to 30 people in the last six months who have decided to not lodge their DA because of the circus this has created.’
Community members were also unhappy with Durie’s plans on the grounds the dwelling would be out of character for the area.
‘It is a gross overdevelopment in this location given the character of the area and the adjoining properties,’ one person told the council.
Durie previously clarified 1518 native and endemic species will be planted on and around the property.
‘We’ve rectified the issue and I have sent a letter to all the neighbours and the council explaining what’s happening and so hopefully they will see with our new plans,’ he said on Today Extra in 2021.
‘I hear them loud and clear and rest assured, we’ll be putting plenty of plants into the ground.’
Construction is finally underway at the stunning location with the multi-level property covered in scaffolding, one year after Durie managed to get his proposed build for a $2.7million home approved. Left: the property in November 2022, right: the property in June 2024
His plans to knock down a 1960s cottage and replace it with a sprawling six-storey mansion for his family was first met with opposition from neighbours who objected to the removal of 17 native trees
Neighbour John Sheehan, a former acting judge of the Land and Environment Court, described the proposal as ‘fatally flawed’ and was concerned it would have ‘serious and irreversible impacts on biodiversity values’.
Another neighbour said the proposed dwelling was out of character with the adjoining dwellings which respect the topography and the vegetation of their sites.
‘It is a gross over-development in this location given the character of the area and the adjoining properties,’ their submission stated.
‘It must be redesigned by an architect to reduce its site coverage, to retain all the significant trees, to pull back from the waterfront in order to stay well within the foreshore building line, and to reduce its excessive size.’
Another expressed grave concerns the development will set an alarming precedent for future development in the area if approved.
Local heritage and preservation bodies also objected to the development with concerns that it’s out of character for the area, will threaten wildlife and ‘would overwhelm its environmentally sensitive block’.
The old cottage was demolished in July last year (pictured)
Community members were also unhappy with Durie’s plans on the grounds the dwelling would be out of character for the area
Pittwater Natural Heritage Association said the initial proposal would have a detrimental effect on the movement of wildlife in the vicinity and doesn’t reflect the ecological and aesthetic values of the area.
‘Council should take into consideration the cumulative effect that developments such as this would have on the canopy trees which are critical to the character of the Avalon area,’ their submission stated.
‘If this and other such developments are allowed to continue then, over time, the tree canopy which gives Avalon its character will disappear.’
The Avalon Preservation Association added: ‘The current trend of proposing very large dwellings on environmentally sensitive blocks and consequently destroying much of the native vegetation on the block while a small effect taken individually, constitutes ‘death by a thousand cuts’ when taken as the new norm.’
Once completed, the property is set to be Durie’s new family home with fiancé Ameka Jane, their two-year-old daughter Beau and their newborn son Nash.
Another expressed grave concerns the development will set an alarming precedent for future development in the area if approved
Once completed, the property is set to be Durie’s new family home with fiancé Ameka Jane, their two-year-old daughter Beau and their newborn son Nash
