Residents in a suburb in Sydney’s west are considering suing the local council in an ongoing spat over a sinkhole that’s been gaping for nearly two years.
The sinkhole on River Raod in Leonay started as a small crater caused by floods in November 2022 and was due to be fixed more than six months ago.
The deadline to fix the hole has been missed three times, leaving locals furious as the sinkhole causes traffic chaos.
“We were told the sinkhole would be gone at the end of May … here we are again,” resident Josephine said.
“Three or four deadlines have been missed now.”
The construction zone surrounding the sinkhole has made River Road into a dead-end street.
There’s now just one way in and out of the suburb, forcing locals to travel kilometres via a detour to get home.
Fed-up residents are considering a class action lawsuit against the local council to recover costs on the extra kilometres they have been forced to travel, costing an estimated $1200 a year.
Council documents also show an additional $879,763 is needed to fix the sinkhole, with the whole project costing $1,916,763.
In a statement, Penrith City Council said the delay was critical to ensure the water and sewer supply to 5000 homes wasn’t interrupted during the works.
It said new underground pipes have been installed, marking a critical milestone in the sinkhole saga.
However, residents still aren’t convinced the hole will get filled anytime soon.
“I find it hard to believe deadline will be met, (I’m) concerned how much money wasted so far little progress,” a local told 9News.
