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They’ve refused to abandon construction of their new dream home in Venice, Los Angeles, despite the neighbourhood’s wave of crime and homelessness.
But it seems Margot Robbie, 30, and her husband Tom Ackerley, 31, aren’t taking any chances when it comes to protecting their plush new pad from criminals and untoward visitors.
Images taken on Tuesday show the couple have installed a large iron gate at the front periphery of the land.
No trespassing! Margot Robbie, 30, and her husband Tom Ackerley, 31, have built a large iron gate in front of their new dream home in Venice, Los Angeles, as the neighbourhood suffers a wave of crime and homelessness
The tall structure appears to be power-operated, meaning that only those with special permission can open the doors.
The home’s front facade is covered in industrial grey concrete and features barely any windows – making the building appear more like a fortress than a family home.
Meanwhile, high-vis clad workers could be seen digging holes in the dirt, while other builders continued boarding up the skeleton of a half-built home.
A $6.5million mistake? The couple (pictured) splashed $6.5million on the land in 2019, but are now being warned they’ve made a grave mistake
According to building plans, Margot and Tom intend to build a two-storey family dwelling with an attached garage.
Margot and Tom’s building site sits on two adjacent plots of land near Abbot Kinney Boulevard in the once-elite beachside Venice neighbourhood in 2019.
The couple splashed $6.5million on the land in 2019, but are now being warned they’ve made a grave mistake.
Fortress Robbie: The home’s front facade is covered in industrial grey concrete and features barely any windows – making the building appear more like a fortress than a family home
No stopping them now: Meanwhile, high-vis clad workers could be seen digging holes in the dirt, while other builders continued boarding up the skeleton of a half-built home
Venice has seen a vast increase in homelessness and crime since the COVID-19 pandemic gripped Los Angeles, with hundreds of tents now lining the beach’s famous boardwalk.
‘It’s a completely different neighbourhood from when Margot and Tom bought it – the crime rate’s gone up 177 per cent since lockdown,’ an insider told Woman’s Day magazine.
A former taxi driver who is now homeless also told told the publication that Margot and Tom are asking for trouble by continuing their building project.
Crisis: Venice has seen a vast increase in homelessness and crime since the COVID-19 pandemic gripped Los Angeles, with hundreds of tents now lining the beach’s famous boardwalk
‘I know people here who will target Margot’s house for burglary because they know she’s got money,’ they warned.
‘She’d be better off if she just abandoned it. I don’t know why anyone would want to spend millions of dollars to buy a house next to all this.’
The couple are already trying to offload one of their LA properties, having listed their smaller home in Hancock Park for $4.5million late last month.
‘She’d be better off if she just abandoned it’: A former taxi driver who is now homeless told Woman’s Day magazine that Margot and Tom’s newly-renovated home may be targeted by criminals
Margot purchased the two-story residence in 2017 for $.3.5million shortly after her marriage to British filmmaker Tom.
Margot and Tom’s neighbour in Venice, Crocodile Dundee star Paul Hogan, 81, meanwhile recently told fans he was ‘desperate’ to leave crime-stricken Venice and return to Australia.
Paul, who moved to the US in 2005 after growing up in Sydney’s western suburbs, is currently holed up inside his ‘fortress-like’ $4.5million mansion with his son Chance, 23.
Getting out: The couple are already trying to offload one of their LA properties, having listed their smaller home in Hancock Park for $4.5million (pictured) late last month
Desperate to leave: Margot and Tom’s neighbour in Venice, Crocodile Dundee star Paul Hogan, 81, (pictured) also recently told fans he was ‘desperate’ to leave his crime-stricken Venice neighbourhood and return to Australia
Homesick: ‘I’m living in LA County, which is 10 million people and half of them have got Covid. So am I homesick? You bet your life,’ Paul told Channel Seven’s Sunrise last month
Bunkering down: Paul, who moved to the US in 2005 after growing up in Sydney’s western suburbs, is currently holed up inside his ‘fortress-like’ $4.5million mansion with his son Chance, 23 (left)
‘I’m living in LA County, which is 10 million people and half of them have got Covid. So am I homesick? You bet your life,’ he told Channel Seven’s Sunrise last month.
When asked how he was coping with Los Angeles’ recent crime wave, Hogan simply said he ‘doesn’t go anywhere’.
‘[I’m] bored in lockdown, and the minute I can get on the plane without being locked in a hotel for two weeks, I’m back,’ he said.
Terrifying situation: It comes as residents of Venice say soaring crime rates and the exploding homeless population have made life in the elite beachside community unbearable
The movie star went on to explain he ‘wouldn’t survive’ Australia’s mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine.
‘My son [Chance] would have to be with me… we’d strangle each other,’ he said.
It comes as residents of Venice say soaring crime rates and the exploding homeless population have made life in the elite beachside community unbearable.
Tent city: The world-famous beach community, 16 miles from downtown Los Angeles, has traditionally been a major tourism drawcard for the Californian city. However, now the palm trees and promenade are blighted by hundreds of tents
Police patrol the Venice Beach Boardwalk on April 20, which has seen an explosion in homeless numbers during COVID lockdowns
Business owners say they are being forced to close their doors and longterm residents are afraid to leave their homes after dark after being subjected to violent attacks and intimidation.
The world-famous beach community, 16 miles from downtown Los Angeles, has traditionally been a major tourism drawcard for the Californian city.
However, now the palm trees and promenade are blighted by hundreds of tents.
Venice Family Clinic’s Director of Homeless Services Dr. Coley King, left, treats Kenard Durr, center, at the world-famous beach. A homeless encampment at the beach has exploded during COVID lockdown (April 20)
Rubbish and waste litter the golden sands of Venice Beach. Anti-social elements have made it dangerous to go out after dark, residents say
Fights occur several times a day, while shootings and stabbings are common, say residents of Venice Beach, who are fearful of increased crime rates since the homeless encampments became permanent
Venice Neighbourhood Council member Soledad Ursua said the homeless encampments had exploded during the COVID-19 lockdowns.
She said residents were afraid to be out after dark, and there were fights several times a day and shootings and stabbings on a weekly basis.
‘It’s just a very dangerous time to be a Venice resident right now,’ she said.
‘Venice’s world famous beach and boardwalk are crippled,’ a letter to city and county officials from residents says
According to figures from the Los Angeles Police Department provided to the Venice Neighbourhood Council, the violent robberies in the neighbourhood are up 177 per cent from last year.
The same period has also seen a 162 per cent increase in cases of assault with a deadly weapon involving a homeless person.
Meanwhile, hundreds of residents have put their signatures to a letter pleading for help from city and county officials.
‘Venice’s world famous beach and boardwalk are crippled,’ it says.
‘Local children are refusing to come to the beach because they’re frightened by what they’ve witnessed. Seniors who live on or near the boardwalk are terrified of walking in their own neighbourhoods.’
According to figures from the Los Angeles Police Department provided to the Venice Neighbourhood Council, the violent robberies in the neighbourhood are up 177 per cent from last year
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