EXCLUSIVE
Police will take no further action after investigating reports of a street altercation between two prominent Byron Bay businessmen outside a landmark hotel on NSW’s far north coast.
The alleged dispute pitted 57-year-old regional media mogul Antony ‘The Cat’ Catalano against 68-year-old local jeweller-to-the stars Giovanni D’Ercole.
Mr Catalano is executive chairman and co-owner of n Community Media as well has having property interests including Byron Bay’s famous Raes Hotel.
Mr D’Ercole is the founder of luxury jewellery brand Love & Hatred and has created custom pieces for rock stars such as Alice Cooper, Chrissy Amphlett and Michael Hutchence.
Mr Catalano is trying to build a $55million home amid rainforest up the road from Raes, just off Wategos Beach, but his plans have been rejected by Bryon Shire Council.
In 2017, Mr D’Ercole paid $4.3million for a two-bedroom house with ocean views on on 833sqm of land next to Mr Catalano’s block.
Mr Catalano’s proposed development features two houses which he intends to be a family home for him, his wife Stefanie and some of their nine children.
According to the n Financial Review, Mr Catalano was sitting at the coffee cart outside Raes about 7.45am on February 26 when he was approached by Mr D’Ercole.
NSW Police confirmed on Wednesday they were called to the Marine Parade business after reports of a disturbance.
‘Police have been told an altercation took place with members of the public intervening to separate the men with [Mr D’Ercole] leaving the scene,’ a spokeswoman said.
Officers from the Tweed/Byron Bay district spoke to Mr Catalano at the hotel and later interviewed Mr D’Ercole at Byron Bay police station.
‘Inquiries are ongoing by police,’ the spokeswoman said.
On Friday afternoon, police revealed those investigations were complete.
‘Following inquiries, no further police action is required,’ they said in a statement.
Mr D’Ercole did not wish to discuss what had occurred between the two men when contacted by Daily Mail .
‘I don’t really want to comment,’ he said. ‘I will get back to you.’
Mr D’Ercole did say he believed CCTV footage of the incident taken from a property not owned by Mr Catalano had been circulating around Byron Bay.
Mr Catalano’s development plans would make his proposed home the most expensive on the north coast.
The two houses would sit on a 4,230sqm site which was once a banana plantation and was transferred in 2006 to the Bundjalung of Byron Bay Aboriginal Corporation.
The land was then sold to a developer for $12.65million in 2020 and later bought by Mr Catalano for $24.74million.
Mr Catalano’s plans include a main house spread across four levels with an underground six-car garage, cellar, gymnasium and music room with a sound booth.
On the upper levels would be six bedrooms, a library, rooftop spa, dining room to seat 22 people and two swimming pools.
A second, three-level house at the back of the block would have its own swimming pool.
Construction construction costs have been estimated at $28.8million, leaving the total bill from land purchase to completion likely to top $55million.
In rejecting Mr Catalano’s application Byron Shire Council found the development was ‘not sympathetic to the environmental constraints of the land’.
The council also found the proposed structures did not comply with planning controls and were unsuitable for the block because of the ‘bulk scale’.
While construction would mean clearing rainforest, Mr Catalano had submitted revised plans which involved replanting 9,909 trees but that was also rejected.
Mr Catalano has appealed the shire’s decision in a case before the Land and Environment Court.
Nine Newspapers reported in September last year that Bryon Bay Council had received 135 objections to the application from 151 submissions.
The objections cited the project’s size, the earthworks required and other concerns about traffic and stormwater.
Among those to support the project were neighbours including art collector Steve Nasteski and F45 gym founder Adam Gilchrist as well as former JB Hi-Fi CEO Richard Uechtritz.
Mr Catalano resigned as chief executive of the Domain real estate classifieds group in 2018 and bought n Community Media with billionaire investor Alex Waislitz the following year.
ACM’s titles include the Newcastle Herald, Illawarra Mercury, Canberra Times and The Examiner in Launceston.
Mr Catalano was contacted for comment.