Developers were forced to construct a new housing development in The Ponds, Sydney, around the Zammit family’s pad
It’d take a lot for most of us to turn down a cool £25 million. But for the Zammit family, you just can’t put a price on their beloved home.
Developers offered the brood the life-changing sum to vacate the property so new houses could be built on its nearly five acres of land in Australia.
But, while most of their neighbours packed up their stuff and sold up, the Zammits turned down the massive $50 million Australian dollar (£25 million) offer and vowed to never leave their home.
But the building firm didn’t give up that easily.
In response to the Zammits giving their proposal the thumbs down, developers decided to continue with their plans to build a new estate in The Ponds area near the city of Quakers Hill anyway.
They obviously had to come up with a solution to get around the family’s refusal to give up their home, so contractors opted to simply erect their new development around their pad instead. Touché.
It’s a pretty similar situation to that gaff that’s plonked in the middle of the M62 motorway in the UK, without the added annoyance of thousands of cars whizzing past it each day.
When the Zammit family turned down a £25 million offer for their home, property developers simply built around it instead (7News)
But the fact that the Zammits are now boxed in by endless rows of houses on either side of them is less than ideal, especially when looking at the new development from a bird’s eye view.
Mum Diane Zammit previously told Daily Mail Australia: “It used to be farmland dotted with little red brick homes and cottages.
“Every home was unique, and there was so much space – but not any more. It’s just not the same.”
The rather impressive property is located just 40 minutes away from the centre of Sydney and has a 650-foot driveway with a panoramic view of the Blue Mountains, which apparently you can’t put a price on.
It is also believed to boast more than five bedrooms, a triple garage and a makeshift basketball court.
The home is now surrounded by new-builds (7News)
Neighbours stood firmly by the Zammits after their decision went public, and praised them for not giving in to financial temptation in return for giving up their life on the five acre property.
One told the Daily Mail: “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.”
