Andy Lee and partner Rebecca Harding have gotten the green light to redevelop their 1876 Italianate mansion for $5 million — and their new neighbors couldn’t be happier.
The popular radio host, 42, splashed $8.5 million on the derelict Hawthorn property in 2021 and has grand plans to build a second home on the land.
Lee and Hardy want to connect the heritage home to a modern construction via a tunnel, and local residents told Daily Mail Australia they can’t wait to see the results.
Neighbors living in the street are sickened by the current state of the house, which they describe as ‘rubbish’ and ‘disgusting’.
‘I think it’s great that they’re not knocking down the traditional house. As a private residence, I think it’s great compared to what they can do,’ one neighbor said.
Andy Lee and partner Rebecca Harding have gotten the green light to redevelop their 1876 Italianate mansion for $5 million — and their new neighbors couldn’t be happier.
‘Of course it’s an eyesore, but worse than that, it’s an absolute tragedy to treat the historic house so carelessly and tear it down.’
Neighbors went on to condemn the previous owners, who left the property in a terrible state for more than a decade after their own renovations stopped for unknown reasons.
He also said, ‘I hope the council takes this old building seriously.’
Another couple agreed, saying: ‘It looks so disgusting at the moment, I’d be happy to see it [renovated]. Anything would be fine.’
The popular radio host, 42, splashed $8.5 million on the abandoned Hawthorn property in 2021 and has grand plans to build a second home on the land.
Lee and Hardy want to connect the traditional house to a modern construction via a tunnel, and local residents told Daily Mail Australia they can’t wait to see the results.
Neighbors living in the street are sickened by the current state of the house, which they describe as ‘rubbish’ and ‘disgusting’.
‘I think it’s wonderful that they’re knocking down the heritage house. As a private residence, I think it’s great compared to what they can do,’ said one, adding that it was a ‘tragedy’ the way the heritage home was treated.
Others said they have been forced to watch the ‘ruin’ for almost two decades and can’t wait for Andy and Rebecca, 32, to fix it.
‘I’ve been here 23 years, and have been a wreck. So the sooner someone fixes it, the better… I will oppose whoever is actually opposing it,’ one man said.
‘If they restore what’s there, then building backwards is fine. It’s been an eyesore.’
Another couple agreed, saying: ‘It looks so disgusting at the moment, I’d be happy to see it [renovated]. anything would be fine’
Others said they’ve been forced to watch the ‘ruin’ for nearly two decades and can’t wait for Andy and Rebecca to fix it.
‘I’ve been here 23 years, and the place has become a shambles. So the sooner someone fixes it, the better… I will oppose whoever is actually opposing it,’ said one
He added: ‘The problem is they pulled down the old Victorian chimney, the previous owner, and left it like that.
‘It actually had a lovely terrace around it before, and then they closed it off and the previous owners stopped renovating what they were doing and it sat like that for 10 years.’
The local council has given Andy and Rebecca the green light to start luxury renovations of their derelict Melbourne mansion at the end of June.
Some of the planned features outlined in the development plans include a home theatre, a gym, a swimming pool and a ‘mega bedroom’.
He added: ‘The problem is they pulled down the old Victorian chimney, the previous owner and left it like that’
The neighbor added: ‘It actually had a nice wraparound porch like it used to have, and then they pulled it down and the previous owners stopped renovating what they were doing and it just sat there for 10 years.’
The local council has given Andy and Rebecca the green light to start luxury renovations on their derelict Melbourne mansion at the end of June.
Some of the planned features outlined in the development plan include a home theatre, a gym, a swimming pool and a ‘mega bedroom’.