Incredible timelapse shows neighbourhood after ‘stubborn family’ rejected £25m offer to sell land
A timelapse video shows the changing scenery surrounding the land of a house whose owners are said to have refused a whopping £25 million offer from developers.
The Zammit family refused this money after property developers wanted to bulldoze their beloved home, located in Sydney, Australia, and turn it into a housing estate.
At the time, the family allegedly explained how their Windsor Castle-style property, with a 650-foot driveway surrounded by green gardens and a panoramic of the Blue Mountains, had no price tag to them.
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In light of their refusal, developers decided to instead carry out their work all around the land, and now the Zammits are stuck in the middle of rows upon rows of new-build homes.
The 30-second clip shows how the area has completely changed since the development began, with the vast green landscape disappearing in place of a new residential neighbourhood.
The two-hectares of land in the middle remains untouched and could have become a street full of new houses if developers had got their way.
Reports suggest that the land could have the capacity to fit around 50 houses if subdivided into 3,200-square-foot blocks, with each having the potential value of AU $1 million.
An expert has come out to share that the entire plot of land could be worth a lot more today.
According to the Daily Mail, it's believed the family were offered between AU $33 million (£17m) and AU $40 million (£20m) to sell, but refused.
Most homes in the area were sold in 2012 to make way for the developers but the Zammit family, who live in The Ponds in Sydney's west, put their foot down and refused the whopping sum of cash offered to part with the 20,000-square-metre property.
Many people would jump at the chance to bag that life-changing amount but the Zammit family are not interested in cashing in and have even told the people who want to demolish their home to keep 'dreaming'.
Diane Zammit has talked nostalgically of the ‘farmland dotted with little red brick homes and cottages’ that used to be the hallmark of the area.
She told Daily Mail Australia: “Every home was unique and there was so much space - but not anymore."
Even residents who moved into the new development are glad that the family aren't budging.
One neighbour said: "I'm very happy they've refused to sell - it means we have a cul-de-sac which is much safer for our kids - and their big lawn next to us makes it feel like we've got so much space.
"Our neighbours don't get that because the other houses are so close together.
“We're very grateful! I hope they stay."
It doesn't look like they'll be hiring a moving van anytime soon.
Britt Jones