Intaj Khan plans to build sprawling $9.5m mansion in Tarneit

West may well be best. But there’s no need to tell Wyndham City councillor Intaj Khan.

The wealthy businessman is putting his money where his mouth is, building a sprawling $9.5 million mansion – complete with a helipad, 16 bedrooms and a 30-seat movie theatre – in Tarneit.

Located about 30 kilometres west of the CBD, the emerging suburb is still one of Melbourne’s most affordable places to live.

Cr Khan’s future 2400 square metre residence will eclipse Tarneit’s median house price of $415,000 more than 22 times over – and no doubt land him with an extremely large annual council rates bill.

With two swimming pools, a seven-car garage and tennis court, the imposing Khan Mansion (dubbed the “In-taj Mahal” by the local paper) will more than adequately house his wife and five children.

Cr Khan says his family hopes to move from their four-bedroom house in Truganina to their new mansion, set on 10 acres on Derrimut Road, some time next year.

Aside from accommodating his family and future guests in fine style, Cr Khan, also the CEO of the Western Institute of Technology, says he wants to set an example of what can be achieved in the west.

“There needs to be encouragement for people to come. Saying ‘look I’m doing it, why can’t you do it too?'”

While his mansion might seem more at home among the “Toorak Tractors” of this world, Cr Khan says it’s time to shake up perceptions – and the smaller block sizes common to the area.

“Some people have said ‘You’d have to be an idiot to spend $9.5 million in the west, you’ll never get that money back’,” says Cr Khan.

“But why would I go to Brighton or Toorak? You’re not going to get a 10-acre block in Toorak.”

Steve Harris, sales manager at Brian Mark Real Estate Tarneit, says the mansion is far beyond anything else ever built in Tarneit, or anywhere nearby.

“It’s certainly out of place in the area, there’s nothing even close to that value out this way,” he says.

“In 17 years, I’ve never seen anything like that. It will be an amazing house.

“It will be great for the area as far as bringing people to it, making them aware of Tarneit.”

Mr Harris says Cr Khan’s grand property will be a far cry from the usual on offer in the urban fringe suburb, which generally offer four bedrooms, two bathrooms and a double garage set on a blocks of 400 to 450 square metres.

The average buyers in Tarneit are young families or investors, and there is a growing Indian population.

Mr Harris says there is still plenty of land available in the area, which was traditionally a farming area that really only started being developed about 12 years ago.

“The acreage out there is still available, but generally it’s developers buying it up,” he says.

Meanwhile Cr Khan, who laughs when asked if the helipad will be installed purely to help him avoid the west’s traffic snarls, says Tarneit suits his, and his family’s, lifestyle.

“It’s such a balanced life out here. It’s sort of a country town and also it’s not that far from the city.”

He says he plans to host regular guests, including local business people, to share his success.

“It’s all about celebrating what you have with the community – that’s the whole concept.”