Latest news with #propertydeveloper
Zawya
a day ago
- Business
- Zawya
Amwaj's flagship Dubai residential project work 50% completed
UAE-based Amwaj Development has announced that steady progress is being made on its flagship residential community - Starlight Park - located in Meydan District 11, with the construction work nearly 50% completed. Having broken ground in April 2024, Starlight Park continues to surpass expectations, said a statement from Amwaj Development. This achievement reinforces the market's confidence in one of the UAE's fastest-growing real estate developers, just 15 months after its market entry, it stated. Starlight Park is a four-building, freehold residential development offering 172 well-designed apartments in Meydan's District 11. Available in one-, two-, and three-bedroom configurations, each home features premium finishes, built-in TV consoles, custom wall treatments in master bedrooms, and integrated cabinetry. Italian-brand appliances, including an Elba gas oven and hob, microwave, dishwasher, fridge/freezer, and washer/dryer, come standard in every unit, alongside dedicated parking. Designed with resident wellbeing in mind, each building is equipped with a rooftop pool, fitness studio, rooftop cinema, indoor and outdoor children's play areas, yoga and boxing studios, padel tennis courts, EV charging stations, and a private lounge. Amwaj Development said the first apartment has already been fully completed, setting a project record and validating its promise to deliver the full development by Q2 2026. This pace underscores the company's commitment to both operational excellence and customer trust, stated the developer. In a dual achievement previously celebrated, Starlight Park had successfully topped out across all four towers, with 100% of the superstructure now completed. Today, Amwaj has swiftly advanced into interior finishing and MEP installations, keeping the project well ahead of schedule, it added. On the prime development, CEO Murad Saleh said its consistent progress reflects the integrity and promise embedded in Amwaj's leadership. "Starlight Park is a residential project that will defy expectations – a community built on trust, speed, and sustainability, and we're proud to set a new benchmark for delivery in the UAE market," he stated. "Sustainability remains at the core of Amwaj's philosophy. In collaboration with its sister company, Green Gardenia Landscaping, Amwaj is bringing to life a nature-inspired living environment that balances eco-conscious design with modern convenience, creating a development that is as green as it is groundbreaking," noted Saleh. "As every milestone is reached, Amwaj reaffirms its commitment to quality, speed, and community-centric design, strengthening its reputation as a reliable partner in shaping the future of Dubai's residential landscape," he added.- TradeArabia News Service Copyright 2024 Al Hilal Publishing and Marketing Group Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE First stop disgraced Salim Mehajer made minutes after walking free from jail - even before he'd seen his family
Bankrupt property developer and disgraced ex-politician Salim Mehajer walked free from jail on Friday - and headed straight to a cosmetic dentist to get his teeth fixed. Mehajer didn't even stop off to see his family at home before speeding down the M2 to visit a dental surgeon in Hornsby in Sydney 's north to repair his prison teeth. He made a brief diversion on the way there to get a new driver's licence from Service NSW in Westfield Parramatta before spending an hour getting dental work. Mehajer, 39, was notorious for the cosmetic work he had done before his downfall, with gleaming Hollywood white teeth and apparent facial fillers as his hallmark style. The disgraced former deputy mayor tried to dodge Daily Mail Australia by jumping out of his black 2018 Mercedes S450 limo at traffic lights near the surgery. He emerged from the surgery just after 1pm - wearing $900 Louis Vuitton sunglasses - but brushed off questions about his health through clenched lips with a muttered: 'Good, thanks.' Mehajer, wearing a blue suit and pink-striped tie and sporting a manbun-style ponytail, appeared to have added a few centimetres to his waistline while inside jail. His suit appeared crumpled and ill-fitting after his five years in prison, no longer tailored to his previously svelte frame. He emerged from the dentist after 1pm refusing to smile or bear his teeth and brushed off questions about his health through clenched lips with a muttered: 'Good, thanks' He also seemed to have been given a recent prison haircut, despite his ponytail, with hair closely trimmed at the sides. Mehajer politely opened the door for another client leaving the clinic complex, which also houses cosmetic surgery salons, before heading back to a waiting chauffeur. He had earlier dismissed questions about his future as he walked through the Parramatta shopping centre to the Service NSW outlet. 'I'm going to respectfully decline to comment,' he said. The one-time millionaire, who flaunted his wealth with an extravagant wedding and luxury marble mansion, had earlier tried to dodge cameras when he left the John Morony Correctional Centre in Windsor, 55km northwest of Sydney on Friday morning. The eldest of Amal and Mohamad Mehajer's eight children, will be relying on his parents' support if he follows through on his plan to rebuild his failed property empire. The former Auburn council deputy mayor has been in prison since November 2020, when he was jailed for lying to a court, and has served back-to-back sentences for multiple offences. The NSW State Parole Authority (SPA) decided last month to grant his release on conditions including that he undergo drug and alcohol testing, participate in domestic violence programs if directed, and not communicate with any outlaw motorcycle gang bikies or associates. He is also banned from contacting his DV victim or entering the Central Coast. Mehajer was declared bankrupt during a previous prison stint in 2018 when his property business, SM Project Developments, was liquidated. Creditors included the Australian Taxation Office and the company which built the marble staircase at his former lavish home in Frances Street, Lidcombe. He was locked up again in 2020 after he was found guilty of two counts of perverting the course of justice and one count of making a false statement under oath. While behind bars in 2023, Mehajer was again convicted in separate trials for unrelated fraud and domestic violence offences. A jury found Mehajer guilty of multiple counts of assault, one count of intimidation and one count of suffocation relating to his abuse of an ex-partner, and he was sentenced to a maximum of seven years and nine months in jail. He was convicted of assaulting the victim by punching her in the head in his car, suffocating her with his hand over her nose and mouth until she passed out, crushing her hand as she held her phone and threatening to kill her mother. At a further trial while he was in jail, he was found guilty by a jury of fraud on two counts each of making a false document and using a false document. The jury convicted him of creating false statutory declarations and affidavits by forging the signatures of his solicitor, Zali Burrows, and one of his six sisters. Mehajer overcame a raft of objections, including the risk of him reoffending, his refusal to change his attitude and his continued denial of some of his crimes. In granting him a release, SPA said Mehajer had completed all possible programs in prison. It determined his rehabilitation was better served in the community under the supervision of a psychologist and community corrections officers. His parole conditions include being of good behaviour, and ongoing treatment from a private psychologist. Mehajer first made headlines with his over-the-top wedding in 2015, when a reported $1million of gaudy excess closed off a Sydney street. Mehajer and his young bride 'Aysha' - former Wollongong beautician April Learmonth - were married amid a procession of Harley Davidsons, rented Lamborghinis, a helicopter overhead, and a reception with 10,000 red roses and gold-dusted desserts. The flashy party had been delayed until Mehajer's father made his exit from prison, after being released early from a maximum three and half years' sentence. Mohamad Mehajer was convicted of conspiring to defraud the National Australia Bank of more than $3million after attempting to bribe a bank employee to approve a loan that overstated the value of the family property company. Salim's marriage lasted a year. In 2016, Aysha took out a restraining order against him, and thereafter the attention-seeking fraudster became embroiled in legal and financial troubles. Now it's his dad's turn to help his son, who he has previously described as 'the brain' and 'the head' of the family.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Salim Mehajer walks free from jail: Disgraced property developer swaggers out through the razor wire in blue suit to go and live with his mum and dad because he's broke
Bankrupt property developer and disgraced former politician Salim Mehajer has walked free after five years in jail to live with his parents because he's flat broke. The one-time millionaire who flaunted his wealth with an extravagant wedding and luxury marble mansion swaggered out from behind the razor wire of a western Sydney prison on Friday. Wearing a blue suit, and his white teeth bared in a dazzling smile XX, the 39-year-old fraudster strolled out of the John Morony Correctional Centre at Windsor without a care in the world - but a very long list of parole conditions. The new parolee looked upbeat as he jumped in a waiting blacked out limo and sped through the prison gates, but faces a strict regime of reporting daily to his parole officer. The eldest of Amal and Mohamad Mehajer's eight children, he will be relying on his parents' support if he follows through on his plan to rebuild his failed property empire. The former Auburn council deputy mayor has been in prison since November 2020, when he was hailed for lying to a court, and has served back-to-back sentences for multiple offences. The NSW State Parole Authority (SPA) decided last month to grant his release m parole on conditions including that he undergo drug and alcohol testing, participate in domestic violence programs if directed and not communicate with any Outlaw Motorcycle Gang bikies or associates. He is also banned from contacting his DV victim or entering the Central Coast. Mehajer was declared bankrupt during a previous prison stint in 2018 when his property business, SM Project Developments, was liquidated. Creditors included the Australian Taxation Office and the company which built the marble staircase at his former lavish home in Frances Street, Lidcombe. He was locked up again in 2020 after he was found guilty of two counts of perverting the course of justice and one count of making a false statement under oath. While behind bars in 2023, Mehajer was again convicted in separate trials for unrelated fraud and domestic violence offences. A jury found Mehajer guilty of multiple counts of assault, one count of intimidation and one count of suffocation relating to his abuse of an ex-partner, and he was sentenced to a maximum of seven years and nine months in jail. He was convicted of assaulting the victim by punching her in the head in his car, suffocating her with his hand over her nose and mouth until she passed out, crushing her hand as she held her phone and threatening to kill her mother. At a further trial while he was in jail, he was found guilty by a jury of fraud on two counts each of making a false document and using a false document. The jury convicted him of creating false statutory declarations and affidavits by forging the signatures of his solicitor, Zali Burrows, and one of his six sisters. Mehajer overcame a raft of objections, including the risk of him reoffending, his refusal to change his attitude and his continued denial of some of his crimes. In granting him a release, SPA said Mehajer had completed all possible programs in prison. It determined his rehabilitation was better served in the community under the supervision of a psychologist and community corrections officers. His parole conditions include being of good behaviour, and ongoing treatment from a private psychologist. Mehajer first made headlines with his over-the-top wedding in 2015, when a reported $1million of gaudy excess closed off a Sydney street. Mehajer and his young bride 'Aysha' - former Wollongong beautician April Learmonth - were married amid a procession of Harley Davidsons, rented Lamborghinis, a helicopter overhead, and a reception with 10,000 red roses and gold-dusted desserts. The flashy party had been delayed until Salim's own father made his exit from prison, after being released early from a maximum three and half years stint in prison. Mohamad Mehajer was convicted of conspiring to defraud the National Australia Bank of more than $3 million after attempting to bribe a bank employee to approve a loan that overstated the value of the family property company. Mehajer staged a car crash in 2017 which led to him pleading guilty to 22 charges, including perverting the course of justice, and making a false call for an ambulance Salim's marriage lasted a year. In 2016, Aysha took out a restraining order against him, and thereafter the attention-seeking fraudster became embroiled in legal and financial troubles. Now its his dad's turn to help Salim, who he has previously described as 'the brain' of the family and 'the head of the family'. In 2024, Salim pleaded guilty to his role in a bizarre car crash he had set up to avoid attending court on another matter, a stunt he was caught out on partly because of CCTV capturing his distinctive leg tattoos. Mehajer pleaded guilty to 22 charges, including perverting the course of justice, making a false representation resulting in a police investigation, making a false call for an ambulance and negligent driving.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Entrepreneur who splashed £13.5m on 'world's most expensive bungalow' in Sandbanks can demolish and rebuild it as modern eco-home
An entrepreneur who spent £13.5 million on a home dubbed 'the world's most expensive' bungalow has finally been given the green light to demolish and rebuild it - after a two-year battle with planners. Tom Glanfield, 46, bought a rundown property on the exclusive Sandbanks resort - described as Dorset's millionaire's row - back in March 2023. He had plans to knock down the Edwardian cottage and replace it with a modern family eco-home. But planners recommended his application be refused on the basis that it would 'result in the total loss of the non-designated heritage asset'. This, they said, would cause 'significant harm' to the Sandbanks Conservation Area. Mr Glanfield however, who lives in Poole, Dorset, insisted that the current house was 'no longer fit for purpose' - and said he had designed a new family home that was 'sympathetic to the beautiful surroundings of the conservation area.' And during a meeting with planners today (July 17), the self-made millionaire and dad insisted he was 'not a property developer' and was not 'flipping [the bungalow] for profit'. He said: 'I'm not a property developer looking to put in a big block of flats here. I'm not flipping this for profit. 'I am very much a family man who is trying to make a family home. I will probably die in that home. 'I care deeply about the environment. I have a renewable energy recruitment firm that I built from scratch. 'This property is currently energy rated F. It would become energy rated A. 'The house's current state also isn't good. I don't allow my kids down to the harbour wall because it is dangerous. 'Instead, I am creating a living sea wall at great expense. I won't even see that from the property - it's all for public benefit. 'So the proposal would improve the environment. 'Currently, the property looks out of place. On either side of it you have flat-roof modern houses. 'And in my opinion the property isn't of any heritage significance - it was the servant quarters to the main house which has since been demolished. 'It's been altered significantly over the years with permitted developments and extensions. 'It's time for it to be developed. You actually all have an opportunity with me, without sounding arrogant, in that I've got the time, energy, and money to make this something you can all be proud of. 'So I really hope you grant it.' Ultimately, his words proved persuasive since after two long years, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (BCP Council) finally gave him the green light for his plans. Officers voted to greenlight the proposal by seven to one. Many said they did not consider the current property as a 'heritage asset' - adding that, if it was, it was of 'very limited value'. Others said the loss of the heritage asset would be justified as the 'benefits outweigh'. One councillor listed the benefits as: 'Energy efficiency, ecological benefits provided by the living sea wall, bringing the property back into local use, and a design that is more sympathetic to the environment than what is currently there.' Mr Glanfield plans to transform the rundown bungalow - which he says has a leaking roof, mould, and mildew - into a sustainable two-storey family eco home. The new-build, the entrepreneur says, will be complete with renewable power and a desalination facility - and will see the sea wall, which is currently 'unsafe', 'unsightly', and crumbling, enhanced and restructured. He previously said: 'My dream is to build a family home that will not only retain the modest beauty of the plot but will also stand the test of time.' Mr Glanfield received significant backing for his proposal from the local community - with 38 letters of support submitted to the council. Among those was one from neighbour Ros Smart, who labelled the plans as an 'outstandingly innovative design for an iconic site'. She continued: 'The modern sleek appearance is entirely in keeping with houses in the surrounding area and is totally suitable for the conservation area.' Others agreed that the design was 'sympathetic' to the location - describing the 'modern sleek appearance' as 'entirely in keeping with houses in the surrounding area'. Planners however argued that the proposal should be refused on 'conservation grounds' - and said alternative options 'involving the retention of the cottage' could have been explored. Planning officer Babatunde Aregbesola told the meeting that the existing building was considered very important to the Sandbanks Conservation Area (CA) given its age, which he described as 'very early Edwardian, one of the oldest in the area'. He said: 'The proposal by reason of the demolition of the existing cottage would result in the total loss of the non-designated heritage asset causing significant harm and failing to preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the Sandbanks Conservation Area.' He also argued that the benefits proposed by Mr Glanfield do not outweigh the harm. He said: 'The applicant, via legal representation, identifies the following public benefits: visual and environmental enhancements from a proposed sea wall and landscaping; design choices including use of local materials and a sedum roof; and improved energy efficiency (F to A rated). 'But while the scheme would deliver a more energy efficient home and some economic activity, it would replace an existing, habitable dwelling and would not increase housing supply. 'The reduced flood risk benefits are private in nature. These benefits are modest and do not outweigh the identified heritage harm 'The proposal would harm the character and appearance of the Conservation Area and its significance. The proposal would also cause harm to non-designated heritage assets which adds further substantial weight against the development. 'In conclusion, the development conflicts with the relevant policies and lacks sufficient public benefit to justify the harm. 'The application should therefore be refused.' But Mr Glanfield managed to convey his side of the story to BCP Council. Following Mr Glanfield's speech, one councillor told the meeting: 'The house itself as it stands is not particularly special, charming or dynamic. It's just an ordinary house. 'But what is being proposed is a special, ecologically designed property that is going to enhance the area and make a huge difference to what the Conservation Area looks like. 'I can't support the officer's recommendation [to refuse the application].' Another said: 'I'm struggling to see how this is a heritage asset. Let these people build the home they want and have a positive impact on the surrounding area.' Mr Glanfield is working on the development with local architect firms Marlow and Arc and award-winning landscape designer Andy Sturgeon. He will now be able to push ahead with his new eco-home.
News.com.au
6 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Fugitive daughter Ashlyn Nassif seeks to have $150m fraud case thrown out of court
The glamorous daughter of a controversial property developer is hoping to get fraud charges relating to an alleged $150 million loan to help her father build one of Sydney's biggest apartment towers thrown out of court. Ashlyn Nassif, 30, is alleged to have falsified documents to meet a $10.5m pre-sale condition for three towers of the Skyview apartments complex in Castle Hill in Sydney's northwest. Her father Jean Nassif is believed to be on the run in Lebanon and while police have not charged him, officers have issued a warrant for his arrest. Ms Nassif did not appear in Burwood Local Court on Wednesday where her matter was briefly mentioned. The prosecution told Magistrate Robyn Denes they were seeking further time to consider a proposal by the defence, which was not opposed. NewsWire understands a 'no bill' application has been put forward by Ms Nassif's solicitor Warwick Korn, which the DPP is considering. A no bill application, or a no further proceedings application, is a request before the NSW Local Court to discontinue a criminal case, usually due to claims of insufficient evidence. In an earlier two-day hearing in April, Ms Nassif attended Burwood Local Court and cried as her solicitors told the court her fugitive father had 'left his daughter to fend for herself'. In the hearing before Burwood Local Court, a sacked Westpac employee who worked with Mr Nassif gave evidence. Graham Smith, a former relationship manager at Westpac who had worked with and maintained a professional relationship with Mr Nassif since 2009, was questioned at length about three 'private commercial dealings' with the fugitive. The court was told Mr Smith was allegedly paid a total of $150,000 for 'consultancy work' as well as an overseas holiday to the US along with his family. These dealings were not disclosed to his former employer Westpac, which Mr Smith conceded he 'knew was a conflict of interest'. Mr Smith told the court he had been 'generally' honest with his former employer during an internal investigation before he was sacked. Lawyers for Ms Nassif told NewsWire outside court after the hearing that the case had 'changed significantly', prompting the no bill application. Ms Nassif was first charged in February 2023 with dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage by deception and publishing false or misleading material and remains on conditional bail. She is yet to enter any pleas. Police allege Ms Nassif submitted fake contracts to Westpac over three months in 2021 to obtain a $150m loan to fund about 900 apartments. The $900m apartment tower complex was built by Mr Nassif's development company Toplace, which spectacularly collapsed late in 2023. The matter will return to court in September.
