Andy Lee and girlfriend Bec Harding get permission to spend $5 million renovating a run-down Melbourne mansion – despite complaints from neighbors in millionaires’ spat
Andy Lee has been given the go-ahead to begin a $5 million renovation of the ramshackle Melbourne mansion he bought two years ago.
The comedian, 41, bought the dilapidated Hawthorn estate, which overlooks the Yarra River, for $8.5 million in 2021, hoping to turn it into his dream home.
Despite some opposition from locals, Lee and his partner Rebecca Harding, 31, have now received council approval for construction, reports The Herald Sun.
The council will send the couple a letter of support for a development application that includes the addition of a second building to the 1876 Italianate mansion.
Some of the planned features Lee and Harding outlined include a home theater, gym, swimming pool, and a “mega bedroom.”
Comedian Andy Lee (pictured) has been given the go-ahead to begin a $5 million renovation of the ramshackle Melbourne mansion he bought two years ago
Despite some opposition from locals, Lee and his partner Rebecca Harding, 31, (pictured in front of the house) have now received council approval for construction
In a statement to the publication, the Boroondara council confirmed that it had made a decision to grant planning permission for the Yarra Grove address.
In 2021, Lee’s sales agent told the Herald Sun that renovating the property would become a huge passion project for the popular TV presenter and his partner.
“It will probably become a lifelong passion, a generation home for them. They were drawn to the opportunity to renovate an original home,” they said.
The dilapidated Italianate country house, built around 1876, sits on a princely plot of 2,000 m² and overlooks the River Yarra.
All aspects of the property – bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen and living areas – need updating as it has been neglected over the decades.
Meanwhile, Lee and Harding have battled rumors that they have been secretly married for years.
Some of the planned features Lee outlined include a home theater, gym, swimming pool and a “mega bedroom”
Engagement rumors started in 2020 when Lee posted a photo of Harding hiding her left hand as she celebrated her 30th birthday.
“Is there a ring she hides with her left sleeve?” wrote one eagle-eyed follower, eager to see if the pair were about to share any exciting news.
They briefly split for six months in 2016 and Rebecca spoke about their split on The Lady Brunch.
“I was 24 when I met Andy, so I was still in college and it was very different from my previous life. Anyway, I got over that and now we’re just as happy as ever,” she said.
The property overlooks the scenic Yarra River and would be the ideal place for Andy and girlfriend Rebecca Harding, 31, to start a family in