Sydney‘s Northern Beaches didn’t earn its ‘insular peninsula’ label for nothing. And for the well-heeled residents of Whale Beach, the new development up the road is every NIMBY’s worst nightmare.
A cashed-up couple move in and immediately begin work on a new house – causing endless noise and increased congestion on what was once a quiet, idyllic street.
To make matters worse, their $30million project is more of a Westfield-style compound than a cosy oceanfront home. So grand are their ambitions, the blow-ins even bought the humble house next door too, just so they could bulldoze it.
This is the exact situation facing the neighbours of supermodel Jennifer Hawkins and her property developer husband Jake Wall.
Locals are outraged over the Rayner Road renovations that have been going on for almost four years now – but when Daily Mail Australia paid a visit on Wednesday morning, there was at least one silver lining.
When it finally does sell, it’s going to be a monster sale. It’ll probably break records. And – fingers crossed – it will lift the prices of other homes on the street too.
The original 1950s home on the site was demolished in 2021, one year after Hawkins and Wall purchased it. Noise from the build has consistently disrupted what was once the sleepiest corner of the peaceful suburb.
The narrow cul-de-sac leading to Hawkins and Wall’s mega-mansion looks more like a footpath than a street, raising concerns over the ‘constant stream of trucks’ that park and block the tight thoroughfare for ‘hours on end’.
Only 29 dwellings are situated on the cliffside strip, and neighbours tell Daily Mail Australia they are ‘tired’ of the endless chaos and disruption.
One resident, Paul, claims it takes him 15 minutes just to get out of his driveway when workers are on foot.
‘If they want to build a mega compound then that’s their prerogative – but, by God, we’re getting tired of it – the construction, the traffic, the noise,’ he says.
‘It’s just a crumby situation. Most of the people who live here full time do for the peace and quiet but it hasn’t been quiet since they broke ground.
‘At any given time there’s cranes, huge trucks, utes, tile deliveries all affecting the street flow and its no longer easy for us to come and go as we please. It takes 15 minutes just to get out of the street because of the build-up.
‘You have to add 15 minutes to your journey just to get off the street because of the hold-up the [construction] is causing.’
‘I’ve met Jake [Wall] and he’s a nice chap and managing it as best he can. Their build will put the rest of our “shacks” to shame,’ he adds.
‘We’re all hoping it will be finished middle of next year – but it’s probably not.’
Another peeved neighbour is fed up with the seemingly never-ending disruption to their formerly peaceful lives.
‘It’s been a pain in the arse for four years – every time we go down the driveway,’ the irritated local says.
‘They do have a rouseabout who helps manage it – the constant trucks and cars – but sometimes they don’t, so there is the odd argument with tradies over who has right of way.
‘It just goes on for years and years and years and we’re probably the most affected. It’s the noise that bothers us as much as the cranes and the street [being blocked].’
But they ultimately believe the development will be a boon for the neighbourhood, considering its eye-watering price tag.
‘I think overall [the compound] will be good. If it sells for $40million we will be in a desirable little pocket, but I just want the sale to go through.’
In their latest ballsy move, Hawkins and Wall have purchased a neighbouring four-bedroom home and demolished it to make way for ‘construction of a dwelling house including landscaping works’, according to the site’s approved plans.
The married couple bought the house next door in 2023 for $7million before lodging a development application in May 2024.
New images of the construction site show the neighbouring property completely bulldozed, with an excavator shovelling gravel atop of what once was a humble family home.
It is being rebuilt to provide multi-level car accommodation with a parking stacker, as well as guest house accommodation and a paddle-ball court.
Hawkins and Wall’s original double block purchase was demolished to make way for a modern multi-level mansion that will include a basketball court, infinity swimming pool, home cinema, sauna and four-car garage.
The high-end property will also have an internal lift connecting all three floors, as well as five bedrooms, multiple living spaces and a large kitchen.
It already boasts jaw-dropping ocean views and sits atop a stunning cliffside close to local amenities.
Hawkins and Wall are known for their house-flipping and high-end home building.
The pair do not intend to live in the Whale Beach property and have reportedly already sold it to a high-profile businessman.
Aerial footage obtained by Daily Mail Australia last month showed construction under way on the enormous plot of land, which is four times the size of neighbouring mansions.
The pair began work on their mega-mansion in December 2022 after receiving approval from Northern Beaches Council for $3.3million worth of construction.
Locals previously said they were sick of the endless construction work and described it as ‘the biggest thing in the whole peninsula at the moment’.
‘It’s so huge,’ they said. ‘It’s out of character with Whale Beach, it’s too big and unnecessary. I have anxiety now.’
The resident added they were worried Northern Beaches Council was not receiving the right fees and taxes on the project, which they believed would be now well over the budgeted $3.3million.
‘I’d say the costs now would be a minimum of $10million. I think the council is missing out on all this money because they are not checking up on the project,’ they said.
They added there were also serious concerns among locals as to how the proposed $30million home would fit in with the other properties in the neighbourhood, which had an average value of around $10million.
Northern Beaches Council told Daily Mail Australia in a statement that while costs of the original grant were indeed exceeded, there was no legal precedent for charging additional fees.
‘At the time of the lodgment of the development application in 2020, Council considered the cost estimate report prepared by a licensed builder and did not find any irregularities with the cost estimate,’ they said.
‘The cost of construction has substantially increased since 2020. However, there is no legislative basis to charge additional fees for development applications where construction costs have escalated.’
