The mayor of the Sutherland Shire, the Cronulla Sharks CEO and a Sydney businessman transformed their three-bedroom holiday home into a sprawling eight-bedroom luxury rental without getting development approval.
Mayor Carmelo Pesce and Sharks CEO Dino Mezzatesta purchased a two-third share in the 20-acre property near Berry, south of Sydney, in 2014 through a company they are joint directors of called CD Ventures Pty Ltd.
A separate company, which shire businessman Robert Giardini and a family member are joint directors of, invested the remaining third.
The men have known each other for a long time, dating back to the early 2000s when they purchased a racehorse together, and Mr Giardini donated to Cr Pesce’s council election campaign.
Their property is currently advertised for holiday rentals, described as a “rural retreat” with a “modern farm-style kitchen” and “in-ground, saltwater pool” overlooking “cattle paddocks and beautiful distant hills”.
The listing says the country estate is rated exceptional with 9.6/10 and is a short eight-minute drive from “award-winning restaurants” at Berry, and a similar distance to the “famous Seven Mile Beach” at Gerroa, a popular destination for holiday-makers from Sydney and Canberra.
Before the property was listed as a holiday rental, the garage was converted into three extra bedrooms, each with their own wardrobe.
A detached stables was also turned into two-bedroom guest cottage with a kitchen and bathroom.
Neither change had council approval before the work began.
The home was then advertised as an eight-bedroom family retreat, fetching up to $12,500 a week.
Compliance officers at Shoalhaven City Council discovered the unauthorised works in 2022 and immediately issued an order banning the use of the guest cottage.
The council has not issued any orders in relation to the garage conversion.
A spokesperson for the council said it was “aware of structures on the property that have been constructed without consent and are currently undertaking compliance action as appropriate”.
