Mosman developer spotted in angry crowd fighting $50m multi-storey plan

Residents of the gilded lower north shore suburb of Mosman are so incensed at the prospect of a multi-storey development in their suburb that a crowd of roughly 60 people gathered at the site on Monday in staunch opposition to the plans.

At issue is a development application lodged by former real estate agent Tim Foote’s development company Prosker Pty Ltd in September last year, which proposes a major demolition to make way for a block of 14 flats. The development would include “three affordable dwellings”, basement parking and a swimming pool.

Suffice to say that the burghers of Mosman aren’t impressed. Speeches were made on Monday as part of a conciliation conference on site. By late mid-afternoon, the conciliation was still ongoing.

“A conciliation conference started on site this morning,” a spokeswoman for Mosman Council told CBD. “We understand that numerous people attended to observe.”

Mosman Council has applied for a heritage protection order for a double-storey house that would need to be bulldozed to make way for the eight-storey proposal.

Foote himself was spotted among the crowd, according to photos sent to CBD. On top of the 60-odd protesters, among whom were some residents raging over the prospect of losing their water views, Foote’s proposal also attracted 173 written objections.

“Tim feels a strong connection and responsibility to the Mosman community,” is how Foote describes himself on his website. “His highly successful first project Redan Lane, with its pre-build sell out, is a landmark entry to the lower north shore market – underpinned by his desire to forge a local legacy for many generations to come.”

Despite the backlash, it’s possible the proposal will get up, thanks to Minns government housing laws that allow developers to add extra storeys to projects if they meet certain criteria and are within walking distance of nominated town centres. And Spit Junction town centre is one of them.

When asked about the status of the development application on Monday, the council had this to say: “The DA is before the NSW Land and Environment Court. The appeal was lodged by the applicant prior to determination by council. The Land and Environment Court will be the decision maker. The timing of a decision is not known.”

Lachlan and Sarah Murdoch fly to US for Rupert’s 95th birthday

Rupert Murdoch may be getting on. But that hasn’t stopped the media mogul from hosting friends and family to celebrate his 95th birthday.

Among the guests who attended the elder Murdoch’s birthday bash this week were his son and successor, Lachlan Murdoch, who was joined by his wife Sarah to attend a gathering of colleagues and family, according to two sources with knowledge of the event not authorised to speak publicly.

The knees-up was flush with some of the biggest names in Murdoch world, which CBD hears even included a contingent of News Corp editors from London. Notably thin on the ground, however, were their Australian counterparts, and the local executives responsible for the company’s Australian operation.

Unless, that is, we’re counting former weekend Herald Sun editor-turned-California Post editor-in-chief Nick Papps, who did make it along.

The Murdoch soiree was first reported by US-based media newsletter Breaker, an email tip-sheet run by Australian former tabloid reporter Lachlan Cartwright, who has become a reliable chronicler of media get-togethers he isn’t invited to. On this occasion, he even got some pictures of assorted guests from the pavement. CBD approves!

The elder Murdoch was pictured leaving the function with his wife Elena Zhukova on his arm, Lachlan in tow. Others pictured at the doorstep of The Grill, a Midtown haunt favoured by media bosses and all manner of New York City corporates, included News Corporation’s global CEO Robert Thomson, and News UK boss Rebekah Brooks.

Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump also showed their faces, according to the pictures, as did former British prime minister Tony Blair, along with former Fox chief Chase Carey and former News International CEO Les Hinton.

Cartwright even got his hands on a piece of Rupert’s birthday cake. “The cake was delicious. It was a chocolate hazelnut concoction with the most insane sugar-rushing frosting that exploded in my mouth,” Cartwright told CBD. “Was worth standing outside in the freezing cold for eight hours!”

ARN Media sets sights on McGuire

Regular readers of this column will no doubt recall that one of the surprising names to surface amid the fallout between Kyle Sandilands and Jackie “O” Henderson last week was Today show co-host Karl Stefanovic.

For those coming in cold: CBD reported on Thursday that Stefanovic had held early-stage talks with ARN Media, which pays Sandilands and Henderson to host the Kyle and Jackie O Show on KIIS FM, over a possible bid to poach him once his contract with Nine Entertainment, publisher of this masthead, expires at the end of this year.

Now it looks like the ASX-listed radio company is preparing to launch a raid on more Nine talent.

Former Nine executive turned ARN chief executive Michael Stephenson is working to reel in new talent as part of the company’s strategy heading into next year. As part of the effort, the company has cast a wide net and sounded out a number of possible targets, including Eddie McGuire, himself a former Nine CEO who continues to have hosting commitments with the broadcaster.

We hear ARN’s discussions with McGuire, an approach first reported by The Australian Financial Review, are in their early stages and have not yet resulted in any formal agreement or deal. ARN and McGuire declined to comment.

Media industry chatter suggests that ARN is considering a tilt for Stefanovic that could install him as host of a Sydney breakfast show; McGuire is said to be earmarked for a show in Melbourne.

It’s unclear what, if any, interest McGuire has in such a move. Stefanovic’s future, meanwhile, has been the subject of industry gossip for months. But the chatter was sent into overdrive when he was given the go-ahead by Nine to strike out and launch his own podcast, The Karl Stefanovic Show, independent of the company.

Stefanovic is working out the remainder of a 12-month extension to his contract with Nine, which is expected to expire at the end of this year. Who knows? It may well be his last.

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