Whistleblowers lift lid on sinking suburbs across Western Sydney

An outbreak of new homes riddled with defects has emerged across Western Sydney and whistleblowers say the problem is far bigger than first feared.

Residents have been silenced as their homes slowly sink and crack.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Residents silenced over sinking suburbs.

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Homes on a whole block at Glenmore Park were bulldozed because the ground is giving way.

House after house, peppered with faults and flaws, is being bought back by developers.

“New houses are not meant to have slabs that are cracking and walls that are cracking because the land underneath is not appropriate to build on,” homeowner Mark Stevenson said.

7NEWS understands the Building Commission has also stopped a number of homes being built in Box Hill because of land subsidence.

Geotechnical engineers say many suburbs are now affected, but three that 7NEWS spoke to are scared to go public, fearing a backlash.

“There shouldn’t be anything hidden here. Everything should be up front,” one engineer said.

“It’s broader than simply Jordan Springs. It’s a practice.”

Residents say developers are overfilling land quickly so it can be levelled for sale.

It is stable at first and passes checks, but then it settles over time and serious problems emerge.

“Mum and dad might purchase a property without any knowledge that there was a 10-metre deep dam there previously,” one engineer said.

Homes on a whole block at Glenmore Park were bulldozed because the ground is giving way.Homes on a whole block at Glenmore Park were bulldozed because the ground is giving way.
Homes on a whole block at Glenmore Park were bulldozed because the ground is giving way. Credit: 7NEWS
Residents have been silenced as their homes slowly sink and crack in a new housing crisis spreading across Western Sydney.Residents have been silenced as their homes slowly sink and crack in a new housing crisis spreading across Western Sydney.
Residents have been silenced as their homes slowly sink and crack in a new housing crisis spreading across Western Sydney. Credit: 7NEWS

Several homeowners in Glenmore Park have been banned from speaking publicly about their sinking houses, with many signing non-disclosure agreements to be compensated.

Mums and dads, many first-home buyers, are outlaying record amounts of money for their slice of Sydney.

Farmland, quarries and dams are among big swathes of land being transformed and sold across Western Sydney, but many buyers aren’t aware of the potential risks.

“I think anything where information is being suppressed, it’s not a great outcome,” Stevenson said.

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