Razzed Site and Secret Sale: Inside Failed Bid to Build $10m Mansion

Residents in Sydney's south are questioning the accountability of a developer who illegally cleared a 7.4-hectare waterfront site in Barden Ridge to build a $10 million mansion, only for the development to be rejected. Amir Abu Abara was fined $70,000 and ordered to restore the environmentally sensitive bushland, which is a habitat for endangered koalas and the threatened powerful owl.

The developer was legally bound by an enforceable undertaking to replant 38,700 plants, including 600 native trees. This agreement was made in exchange for Sutherland Shire Council dropping criminal charges that could have resulted in a $5 million penalty. Abara's rejected mansion proposal included extravagant features like a ten-pin bowling alley, indoor basketball court, and a prayer room.

Adding to the controversy, Mr. Abara secretly sold the property in early June to Assetra Property Pty Ltd for $850,000, a price lower than his 2019 purchase price. Notably, Assetra Property was registered just a month prior to the sale, with Sydney tax agent Rakeshkumar Sanghvi listed as its director. Sanghvi is also linked to another company, Stonegate Ventures Pty Ltd, registered around the same time.

Despite the change in ownership, Sutherland Shire Council has stated that Mr. Abara's company, ACCS Family Holdings, remains obligated to fulfill the replanting requirements. The council indicated that the company must arrange for the works to be carried out, raising questions about how this will be enforced with the new ownership structure and the developer's apparent departure from the project.

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The company is required to complete the replanting works and must arrange access to the site or otherwise ensure the works are carried out.