A multi-billionaire advertising magnate is embroiled in a dispute with Sydney City Council over plans to develop his $45 million oceanfront estate.
New York, Australia-based David Droga, 54, and his wife Marisa broke east coast house price records when they bought a 1,100 sq ft 1920s brick home overlooking Tamarama Beach in Sydney’s east in May last year.
They have since demolished the century-old California bungalow formerly known as Lang Syne and commissioned famed architect Luigi Rosselli to create blueprints for a new mansion.
But Waverley Council rejected the plan, forcing Droga – the director of marketing agency Accenture Song – and his wife to take their case to the Land and Environment Tribunal. Sydney Morning Herald reported.
The new design features ‘cocoon’-shaped structures made from reclaimed sandstone, brick and slate, with four bedrooms, all with en suite bathrooms, a kitchen, formal dining room, sunken living room and a library.
The property would also include a solarium court in the centre with an underground garage, storage space for bicycles and sports equipment, art storage, fitness room and internal lift.
“The brief David and Marisa gave us was simple: design a family home that would fit into such a special and breathtaking location,” the architect’s website states.
‘Something beautiful and organic, in harmony with the natural environment and its inhabitants.
Lang Syne (pictured) overlooking Sydney’s Tamarama Beach before it was demolished
David Droga and his wife Marisa (pictured) broke real estate records when they bought the 1,100-square-foot home for $45 million
‘The aim is to preserve the organic beauty of the site, with its wind-carved rocks, through an organic design with a contrasting play of eroded horizontal plates and cocoon-shaped vertical fractures.’
Although local residents had previously criticised the planned construction, only one public response to the proposal was submitted to the council, which was positive.
In the submission via a heritage report, architect Zoltan Kovac praised the design, saying: ‘If this project is not an exemplary, outstanding response to an important natural environment, then I don’t know what is.’
The council initially requested more information, but this was not provided. The proposal was subsequently rejected.
The case, which was heard last week by Deputy Registrar Elizabeth Orr, remains before the courts and a ruling has yet to be made.
Lang Syne, a four-bedroom, two-bathroom house, was previously lived in for 64 years by Dimity Griffiths and her husband Harry – a comedian and radio star – along with their four children.
Pictured: an impression of the house that the Drogas want to build on the site
The couple expected the new home overlooking Tamarama Beach to be completed in 2026
If given the green light, the new residence called Tamarama Headland Sea Change will be Australia’s most expensive oceanfront property
The couple paid £9,750 for the property, which is about $18,000 today, without adjusting for inflation.
Lang Syne had been for sale for seven months before Droga made the “extremely irresponsible” purchase early last year.
“I always thought this was the best piece of land in Sydney,” he told AdNews in October.
“When it came up, all the stars aligned and it felt like a wonderfully irresponsible thing to do.”
The Drogas currently live in Manhattan, where they have raised four children.
Speaking to AFR in October, Mr Droga said the family rents houses when they go to Australia for Christmas each year and that he wanted to buy a house for them to stay in instead.
Although the family plans to continue living abroad, Mr Droga would like to see himself living on the Tamarama estate for ‘months at a time’ once he retires.
Australian advertising guru David Droga, 54, said the property will be a family holiday home
Mr Droga became a billionaire through his hugely successful advertising company Droga5, which he founded in Australia in 2006 and sold for $650 million in 2019.
Accenture bought the company and Mr. Droga became CEO of the global IT and consulting giant.
During his more than 30-year career, which has seen him rise to the top of the advertising world, Mr. Droga, who likes to call himself the “Dingo of Wall Street,” has worked with former U.S. President Barack Obama, Beyoncé and the United Nations, among others.
He grew up in Perisher Valley in the NSW Snowy Mountains and then moved to Sydney, Singapore and London.
In 2003, he landed in New York to lead the multi-billion dollar advertising agency with a turnover of over 1.5 billion dollars.