South Penrith resident Michael Pollard is calling for someone to be held accountable for the damage and disruption that The Northern Road upgrade has caused homeowners.
Mr Pollard has been experiencing issues for the last three years with his property on Flavel Street, which runs alongside the construction.
“I have had my property flooded four times because of no drainage, they drove an excavator into my fence and tried to dispute they did it, then I wrote to Minister [Andrew] Constance who acknowledged they had damaged it and said it would be repaired,” Mr Pollard said.
“After 18 months of nothing happening, I got sick of it being damaged so I paid $15,000 to have it replaced myself, but they have broken it again, which is quoted for another $5,000 plus $30,000 to fix my pool from vibration damage.”
Despite accepting liability, Mr Pollard said neither the government or delivery partner, Acciona, will take responsibility to settle the matter.
“The latest damage they are refusing to pay for unless I sign a non-disclosure agreement and deed of release which indemnifies them from all previous, current and future damage, which I am not willing to do,” he said.
“It seems no one is managing this, and the government and contractor just blame each other, so why would I provide a guarantee that I will not seek litigation in future?”
Transport for NSW said it has been working hard to ensure there are no unintended construction impacts on nearby residents.
“A temporary barricade has been installed at the resident’s property to minimise any further damage to his fence,” a spokesperson said.
“The installation of the noise wall, drainage works, and landscaping work near the resident’s property are approaching completion.”
Any damage that has been caused will be examined at the completion of the project.
Mr Pollard said it was a “joke” to have to wait until the completion of construction to have issues dealt with.
A graduate of Western Sydney University, Emily covers Local, State and Federal politics for the Weekender, as well as crime and general news.
