Why this single photo of an Australian suburb has sparked a huge debate about the future of our country

An aerial view of an Australian suburb with thousands of tightly packed detached houses has sparked a debate about the future of housing.

Located approximately 40km west of Sydney’s CBD, near Quakers Hill, The Ponds was established in 2007 and was previously agricultural land.

Today the suburb is home to 4,500 homes and an estimated population of approximately 12,000 residents.

However, Australians have criticized the suburb’s density after an aerial photo circulated on social media, prompting thousands to have their say.

“Each of these is worth at least $1.2 million, 45km from Sydney’s CBD,” one commenter wrote.

“How the hell does this get approved? And look at those dark roofs.

“Just wait until the kids grow up and every house has three to four cars that need to be parked on the street.”

Some commenters shared concerns about the lack of privacy due to the proximity of the homes.

‘That looks terrible. Packed like sardines,” one person wrote.

‘If you sneeze out of a side window, your neighbor will catch a cold. This photo makes me feel claustrophobic just looking at it.’

Another wrote: ‘No back gardens. No trees. Just greyness. How incredibly depressing.

‘For me, living like that would be hell on earth.’

The design of the home also posed safety concerns, especially in the event of a house fire.

‘How is that even safe? If one catches fire, they are all in danger. I’d rather live in a tent in a bush than one of these McBoxes,” one person commented.

‘One house catches fire and the whole row burns down. Great design.’

Another said: ‘It will be extremely hot in the summer and will rely on air conditioning. It’s very poorly designed.’

Others said high immigration to Sydney was fueling the need for high-density housing.

‘The government is making it easier by opening the floodgates to mass immigration!’ wrote one commenter.

“This sad, depressing picture has no place in Australia, where greed has crippled would-be homeowners by encouraging migration to unsustainable levels.”

A rebellious family has turned down offers of up to $50 million to sell their five-acre estate (pictured) in the heart of The Ponds

Developers gradually brought up the surrounding plots of land, but the intensely private Zammit family refused to sell

Aerial timelapse footage shows how the house was once surrounded by farmland

Before the development of The Ponds in 2007, the area was characterized by small red brick houses with huge divisions and farms.

One of those houses still stands: a five-hectare estate in the heart of the suburb, owned by the defiant Zammit family, who refused to sell despite lucrative offers.

The land is worth more than $40 million to local developer Bathla, which could build 40 new homes worth $1 million in the space.

It is believed that developers have offered the family a sum of millions of dollars to transfer the land so that construction work on the estate can finally be completed.

‘Each home was unique and there was so much space, but not anymore. It’s just not the same,” Diane Zammit previously told Daily Mail Australia.

The average price for a home in The Ponds over the past 12 months is $1.5 million, according to data from realestate.com.au.