In Sydney’s west, a stalwart homeowner has refused to sell their family’s generous land despite new suburban projects in their midst, forcing developers to build around their long, sprawling 5-acre lawn.
Once a wide-open rural plot with a mountain vista, the defiant green wedge now sits besieged by new, jam-packed housing on all sides, pressed tightly up against their fence.
Developers are scurrying, offering to throw money at them, hoping to entice them to sell.
But they won’t. The Zammit family—at least for now—remains adamant.
The land crosses several blocks of new suburban homes in The Ponds development near Quakers Hill in Sydney’s western outskirts.
Aerial photographs have emerged, showing time-lapse imagery as the development sprang up around the property. The rural strip is drawn into stark contrast with new, urban residential projects.
For over a decade, the Zammits’ Windsor Castle-inspired house with its 650-foot driveway and three-car garage stood valiantly as most of their neighbors sold.
With offers of around AU$4.75 million, the past owners cashed in. While the Zammits held on.
The current builder now stands to gain a massive development if the family sells, Walter Nanni, a buyers’ agent with iBuy Property Buyers Agency, told the outlet.
It would simply be “like connecting the dots for him” once the land was acquired, Mr. Nanni said.
The Zammits have been described as intensely private and their true intentions for their property remain obfuscated.
Yet, speaking to Daily Mail, mother Diane Zammit, 51, reminisced how the area “used to be farmland dotted with little red brick homes and cottages.”
“Every home was unique, and there was so much space—but not anymore. It’s just not the same,” she told the outlet, expressing melancholy over bygone times.
The open range boasted a view of the Blue Mountains.
Yet their gambit to stand firm has only driven the value up; some in the real estate business say the longer they wait, the more money they’ll make. So far, that’s proven true.
Buyers have bid on nearby lots, including Mr. Nanni, who said he pulled out of vying for one across the street from the Zammits when bidding topped AU$25 million.
The family has now seen that figure doubled.
One can only surmise the Zammits’ motives, however; they have held their cards very close to their chest.
It may be sentimental value they are protecting—one cannot put a price on happiness, after all—or perhaps a stratagem to maximize their yields.
Regardless, some neighbors who have already moved into the development say they don’t mind the Zammits, and even appreciate their standing firm.
After all, their yard makes the intended through road a quieter, safer cul-de-sac with far less traffic, one told Daily Mail.
They also credit the big lawn for giving the neighborhood a more spacious look.
Reportedly, they wave to the Zammits when they’re in their yard. “They always wave back, but I don’t really speak to them,” the neighbor said. “I hope they stay.”
