Chris Hemsworth and his wife Elsa suffer further setback in plans to build another Byron Bay mansion
Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky have suffered another setback in their plans to build a second ‘Westfield-style’ mansion on a 35 hectare site in an exclusive part of Byron Bay.
Daily Mail Australia revealed in August the Hemsworths wanted to build a new seven-bedroom home – each with its own ensuite bathroom – less than a kilometre from the $30million mega-mansion they call home.
The new digs is expected cost the Hollywood power couple $4.4million but at the moment remains on the planning shelf.
Daily Mail Australia has been told approval for the new compound has been put on hold due to a lack of expertise within Byron Bay Council.
Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky’s plan to build a new Westfield-style’ mansion in Byron Bay has been delayed
The new $4.4million ‘Westfield-style’ mansion will be less than a kilometre from their $30million family home (pictured)
‘The council has lost a bunch of their staff in recent times and there is a huge backlog in processing Development Approvals,’ a source told Daily Mail Australia.
‘Not much is happening with it at the moment.’
The development has been plagued with issues since it was lodged earlier this year, with experts claiming the Hemsworths are ‘dreaming’ if they hoped to come in on their documented budget.
‘The Development Approval said the estimated cost to build the two houses was $4.4m. I reckon that wouldn’t put Christmas dinner on the Hemsworth’s table,’ a building industry expert told Daily Mail Australia in August.
‘The figure will be way more.’
Hemsworth purchased the land – about a kilometre from his existing Byron Bay mansion – for $4.25million in 2019.
Any blowout is unlikely to dent the coffers of the Thor star and his wife, who have a combined net worth of about $200 million.
Development plans were first lodged in March, with a final draft being submitted with Byron Bay Council in July.
If the setbacks are troubling the Hemsworths, they are doing their best to hide the pain.
Chris and Elsa hope to build a new seven-bedroom mansion – each with its own ensuite bathroom
A riding facility dubbed ‘El Caballo Blanco’ has already been built on the new 35 hectare site (pictured)
Chris and Elsa are rumoured to be the recent buyers of an exclusive 1,312-acre oceanfront site in Tasmania called Piano Coves.
The area includes eight land titles with a price guide of between $10million and $15million.
The property, in the state’s northeast, boasts almost 3km of ocean frontage, including beaches and coves.
The sale comes after Chris and his brothers, Liam and Luke, bought several multimillion-dollar properties in NSW’s Northern Rivers region.
These purchases have helped ‘push up house prices’ in the town of Newrybar, 18km from Byron Bay,
The plans for a new four-level home has been lodged for final approval with Byron Bay Council
The council is dealing with a huge backlog in processing Development Approvals according to a source
Just last month, Pataky stepped out in a bikini to bask in the sunshine at her existing mansion in Byron Bay.
The Spanish actress, 45, showed off her incredible figure as she and a girlfriend frolicked by the infinity pool.
Pataky posted some pictures to Instagram of the pair dancing near the water’s edge with the beach in background.
The Snakes On A Plane star had stayed behind in Byron Bay while her husband films his new Marvel film Thor: Love and Thunder.
Hemsworth flew from Australia to Los Angeles without his wife and children to continue working on his new blockbuster.
The Aussie star also appears to be hiding his anguish over the delays in the family’s latest property development.
Just weeks ago he and his brothers Liam and Luke made a rare public appearance together as they stepped out for dinner with their father Craig and Liam’s girlfriend Gabriella Brooks.
Elsa (right) doesn’t appear daunted by the development delays as she was seen enjoying cocktails beside her resort-style infinity pool
Hemsworth and his family were all smiles as they left the Via Veneto restaurant in Santa Monica.
In September, Daily Mail Australia revealed Hemsworth’s new development had already caused a stink among some Byron Bay residents, with the council confirming it had received four objections to the development.
It was the same month the development had been expected to be given the green light.
An error by the council required it to be re-gazetted after it incorrectly undervalued the development’s true cost by more than $1 million in a previous listing.
The development will also now need to be brought before the council in a public meeting, which will open up debate among other possible objectors.
Detailed plans show Hemsworth’s desired new residence is 35 metres long, has four levels and sports a mandatory butler’s pantry and swimming pool.
Under the planning requirements, the homes must include a 10kw solar system, which will require anywhere up to 35 solar panels.
The couple is rumoured to be the buyers of an 1,312-acre property (pictured) located in northeast Tasmania that includes eight land titles
With temperatures rarely averaging below 20C, and climbing into the 30s during the warmer months, the Hemsworths can expect to dip into the grid to keep the dwellings cool.
‘He will have to have his aircon on 24/7 in summer as it gets really hot out the back there in summer,’ one local said.
Hemsworth’s second planned building on the site will have two bedrooms all of its own and two bathrooms.
Situated on the pond, the site already features its own cabana and an entertainment area in the middle surrounded by water.
A three car garage will cater to the Hemsworths and their Hollywood mates, who are expected to bunker down at the new pad should it get the all clear.
The site has already raised the eyebrows of some inquisitive locals, who have raised concerns over some of the Hemsworth’s existing structures.
Aerial photography shows a large stable complex has already been constructed and a large horse ring.
Branded ‘El Caballo Blanco’ by some – in reference to a famous horse riding theme park that operated at Catherine Field on the outskirts of Sydney in the 70s, 80s and 90s.
Elsa (pictured) and her husband Chris are believed to have a combined net worth of about $200 million
The development of Hemsworth’s existing home divided opinion in Byron Bay upon its construction in 2017.
The fortress like property, which sits high above Seven Mile Beach, boasts a gymnasium, butler’s pantry, fire pit, change rooms, outdoor play area for the three Hemsworth children and walk-in wardrobes.
Angry neighbours were quick to say the building reminded them of a suburban shopping centre, a refurbished RSL club or a regional airport terminal.
Others compared it to a multi-storey car park.
Some Australians attacked the Hemsworths over previous comments the actor made about the development of an nearby eco-resort, which blocks beach access to his own property.
‘Yeah whinge about a resort nearby….your private jet’s eco house… not,’ a Sydney man wrote.
Elsa Pataky and Chris Hemsworth attend Sony Pictures’ “Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood” Los Angeles Premiere in Hollywood in 2019
However, Hemsworth remains popular among most of his fellow Australians.
In June, he was recognised for his service to the arts and his commitment to charitable organisations in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.
The 37-year-old was made a Member of the Order of Australia after donating $1 million to the country’s bushfire appeal at the start of 2020 – in addition to ongoing financial backing of groups leading the country’s recovery from the fires.
Hemsworth has worked with charity organisations since 2009, when he became a patron for the Australian Childhood Foundation.
He also supports global charities Baby2Baby, Motion Picture and Television Fund Foundation, Hollywood Charity Horse Show, J/P Haitian Relief Organization, Oceana and the Robert F Kennedy Memorial.
‘They give millions to charity here. They certainly are doing a lot of good with it,’ one Byron Bay local wrote in defence of the town’s best-known resident.
‘Is there a little green devil sitting on all your shoulders? He’s made it, you and I haven’t. Get off his case,’ another man wrote.