George Calombaris adds a fake rooftop hedge to his backyard gym

MasterChef judge George Calombaris has made another addition to his unpopular backyard gym, this time putting a fake hedge on top of the suburban curiosity. 

The Colorbond structure behind the chef’s Melbourne mansion first attracted attention in April when an elderly neighbour complained it was a ‘monstrous eyesore’.

Now Calombaris has installed a more than 1m tall artificial L-shaped hedge on the roof restricting the view into his own backyard. 

 

The L-shaped hedge George Calombaris has put on top of the backyard gym behind his Toorak mansion that neighbour Helen Elsworth has previously described as a monstrosity

MasterChef host George Calombaris has added a green hedge to the roof of his backyard gym

MasterChef host George Calombaris has added a green hedge to the roof of his backyard gym

Helen Elsworth has described MasterChef judge George Calombaris as the ‘worst neighbour’

This is the windowless box George Calombaris has built as a gym behind his Toorak mansion; this picture was taken from 71-year-old neighbour Helen Elsworth's bedroom in May

This is the windowless box George Calombaris has built as a gym behind his Toorak mansion; this picture was taken from 71-year-old neighbour Helen Elsworth’s bedroom in May

The boxy, windowless structure behind Calombaris’s Toorak mansion was already partially wrapped with a timber fence on three sides. 

It dominates the view from the first-floor bedroom of retired nurse Helen Elsworth, who has compared it to a public toilet block and called for it to be torn down. 

Ms Elsworth, 71, did not wish to comment on the latest addition, but has previously told Daily Mail Australia the building was a ‘monstrosity’.

She objects to the look, mass, size, scale and structure of the gym. She has never met 39-year-old Calombaris and was unimpressed by his celebrity.

‘He’s the worst neighbour I’ve had in my life,’ Ms Elsworth told A Current Affair.

‘He should be living in Central Australia somewhere, where he can’t bother people, not in the suburbs.

‘I’ve got to keep the blinds closed day and night – well, all day. Shocking.’

Could this be the answer? MasterChef judge George Calombaris said his unhappy neighbours would be delighted when his backyard gym behind his Toorak mansion was finally finished

Could this be the answer? MasterChef judge George Calombaris said his unhappy neighbours would be delighted when his backyard gym behind his Toorak mansion was finally finished

The view through the bay windows of Helen Elsworth's bedroom out to the gym back in May

The view through the bay windows of Helen Elsworth’s bedroom out to the gym back in May

Ms Elsworth wants Calombaris to demolish the gym. The view from her bedroom window previously featured a more aesthetically pleasing real hedge.

Another room in her apartment also looks directly out on the gym and she has lodged a complaint with the Victorian Building Authority.

After the initial kerfuffle, Calombaris told the Herald Sun his neighbours would be delighted when they saw the new additions he had planned for the controversial gym.

‘There’s no question about it. Once it’s finished, our neighbours are gonna be rapt,’ Calombaris said.

‘It’s pretty simple. The project is not complete yet. It’s an unfinished building site.’

Ms Elsworth had a brief exchange with Calombaris in May when the television host was asked about the dispute while being interviewed on the Kyle and Jacko O Show. 

Retiree Helen Elsworth says she feels she is looking out on a public toilet block from her room

Retiree Helen Elsworth says she feels she is looking out on a public toilet block from her room

‘To tell you the truth, I’ve been that caught up in MasterChef that I’m not really… all I know is that she’s going to be absolutely ecstatic when it’s all finished,’ Calombaris told the radio pair.

‘We’ll have her over for a session. We can do a little workout together. It’s somewhere to meditate – twice a day.’

When Calombaris admitted he had never spoken to Ms Elsworth the radio hosts called her at home and she picked up after one ring.

Sandilands: ‘I’ve got George on the phone, do you want to chat to him? Maybe you can sort it out.’

Ms Elsworth: ‘No I don’t. Listen, I’ll tell you what to do. If you’ve got George on the phone you can talk to my lawyers.’

Calombaris: ‘Oh, that’s okay… It’s all good. I’m sure everyone’s going to be happy at the end of it.’

The restaurateur’s wife Natalie Tricarico had earlier told the Herald Sun the building was legal.

‘We have also continued to ensure our neighbours who share a land boundary with us were kept informed of the progress of the construction works – as we were required to do – and those neighbours have expressed no issue with the construction or the process that took place,’ Ms Tricarico told the newspaper.

Calombaris bought the home he shares with his wife for $4.75million in 2014.

'He's the worst neighbour I've had in my life,' 71-year-old Helen Elsworth told A Current Affair

‘He’s the worst neighbour I’ve had in my life,’ 71-year-old Helen Elsworth told A Current Affair



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