They selected the plots when they bought into the new suburb in 1996 because they look out onto lakes across the road.

Now developers Landcom and Mirvac, who own the waterside land, plan to build a housing estate and residents say they will fill in the lakes to do so.

Resident Michael Botfield said: ``We wanted to live in a natural area and Landcom told us repeatedly that the lakes would stay there.

``Now we feel like it's all going to be taken away from us and we won't stand for it.''

A Mirvac spokeswoman said it is too early to comment on specific plans as the development was in its early stages.

A joint Landcom and Mirvac statement said the firms were working with Liverpool Council to get the area rezoned from rural (future urban) to residential.

A Liverpool Council spokeswoman said the council was assessing a rezoning and new suburb name application for the site.